“THE light came on – we realised just how important it is to see the patient as a whole person, and to include the genograms – a pictorial display of a person’s family relationships and medical history – in caring for the residents in our homes,” said Colette Jansen van Vuuren, nursing services manager at the Rynpark Association for the Elderly in Benoni.
Colette and four of her colleagues attended the Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services’ course on Introduction to Palliative Care held in September. They formed part of a group of 15 students who completed the 40-hour course at the hospice’s newly established Centre for Palliative Learning.
This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to provide basic palliative care. It responds to the World Health Assembly Resolution 67.19 that recommends that all health professionals undertake basic training in palliative care.
Colette said: “We have also learnt how important it is for the whole team – the nurses, the occupational therapists, the care coordinators and the lifestyle assistants – to take hands in the care of our residents.”
The course covered topics such as principles of palliative care, ethics and end of life decision making, communication skills and the team and family, as well as loss, grief and bereavement.
The hospice engaged the services of Fiona Shraga who is facilitating the Introduction to Palliative Care course. Fiona is a nursing tutor and HPCA e-learning national coordinator in the Short Course Palliative Care Nursing and has several qualifications behind her name, such as professional nurse and midwife. She has completed her degree in nursing education, nursing management, community health, and completed her palliative care training at Wits Hospice. The e-learning online facilitation course was done through the University of Cape Town.
Dates for the next courses will soon be released. For more information or to register your interest in attending the course email Sonia Thomson at sonia@steppingstonehospice.co.za
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
Add us on WhatsApp today! Comaro Chronicle: 079 427 8074 and Southern Courier: 079 404 5789.
Get regular news updates sent directly to your inbox: Newsletter-Signup
