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HOME BASED CARE

Thembi Mkhize

Home based care in rural communities remains our anchor project serving both adults and children who are in need.  Each home based care team consists of a qualified retired nurse, a driver and an area co-coordinator and care workers who live in the area.  Building on the work of Mrs. Ann McCarthy we have a streamlined documentation system in place.

Management of the programme is undertaken by Mrs. Thembi  Mkhize, project manager, Ms Nombuyiselo  HBC facilitator and Mrs. Bonnie van Deventer the administrator and these three salaries are paid by the Department of Health.   We work closely with GJ Crookes Hospital and they provide us with updating on clinical issues and give some material help.

Our work continues to be carried out in four broad geographical areas and the teams have come together to write small reports of their work and these follow.  In all areas the following work is carried out:

• Paying house to house visits to talk about HIV and TB prevention treatment and care and monitoring treatment adherence
• Referring clients in need to area coordinators and nurses who assess the situation and make care plans
• Teaching families about the need for cleanliness and especially clean water and sanitation and how to care for the sick and vulnerable
• Teaching about good nutrition
• Orphans and vulnerable children are helped with their caregivers, especially the grannies and child headed families
• Delivering HBC packs, food parcels and food supplements
• Assisting with referrals to government departments, especially Home Affairs
• Conduct awareness campaigns for group education

 Mkhunya , KwaJoni and Dududu Area 

These deep rural areas are situated in Wards 5, 6 and 7 of Vulamehlo and are among the most underserved areas due to the mountains and poor dirt roads which have to be travelled.  These areas are funded by the Stephen Lewis Foundation of Canada.  The base for Mkhunya and KwaJoni will shortly move to the Siyathuthuka Centre which has been renovated by Operation Jumpstart and Dududu are working from a three room cottage at the Dududu Community Centre.

At Mkhunya there is also a feeding station at One-One crèche and the permaculture garden project.

Dumisa and Kenterton

 Dumisa is situated in Ward 9 of Vulamehlo and Kenterton is in Ward 8.  This area is funded by OXFAM JOHAP.  These areas are widely scattered and have many hard to reach homesteads.  The base for this group is the Dumisa Community Hall where the area coordinator has an office.  Also situated at the Hall is the office for our Lay counselor, Ms. Duduzile Cele; she is supported by weekly visits from the Hospital team.  The nearest clinic is Mgangeni which was built 3 years ago and while this is very helpful many people do not have transport to reach it.

Amandawe, KwaCele, Amahlongwa and Mistake Farm

These first three areas are in Umdoni Municipality, Amandawe in Wards 2, 4 and 5, KwaCele in Ward 2 and Amahlongwa is in Ward 1; Mistake Farm is in Vulamehlo but is in fact cut off from the rest of that Municipality and is accessed through Umzinto.  This area has been funded by OPSEU until January 2010 and is now funded by SAGA Charitable Trust in the UK. The areas are very diverse with some homes being built closely together and some very scattered and difficult to reach in remote areas.  This is the most densely populated of the areas which we serve and is crisscrossed by dirt roads.   However the Hospital and Umzinto and Scottburgh clinics are relatively close and accessible.  The clinic at Philani in KwaCele is the centre for that area. 

In Amandawe the newly renovated Amandawe Community Care Centre is the base for Home Based Care in the whole area.  Funded by the Miriam Dean Trust in the UK the Centre is presently able to provide HIV counseling and testing on three mornings weekly.

KwaMbiyane Braemar/AsSalaam and Farm Rock

These areas are funded by the DG Murray Trust in Cape Town. KwaMbiyane is in ward 9 of Umzumbe Municipality but is cut off from Umzumbe due to its remote location and therefore is included in areas which UVHAA serves;  AsSalaam and Farm Rock lie on the north side of the Umzinto Ixopo Road and lie in ward 7 and 10 of Vulamehlo.

These areas are extremely poor and isolated.  At KwaMbiyane there is no electricity and poor water supplies with families relying on streams.    The HBC group meets in a one room house belonging to a local family.  AsSalaam is surrounded by sugar cane and gum tree plantations and there are no fixed health facilities with a mobile clinic visiting monthly.  The HBC group meets in a Community Hall.  At Farm Rock the group meets in the home of a support group member.

Statistics:

• At present we have 947 clients on the HBC Programme
• 604 clients are HIV positive and of these 335 are on ART and 206 are on TB treatment
• There are 277 orphans and vulnerable children and 10 child-headed families
• During May a total of 2,983 visits were paid by careworkers and staff.

 

 

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