Home serves disabled in Embo community

PHILAKADE Home Care is happy to launch their new coffee shop which will help them continue with their work. Philakade in Embo has been around since 2019 and houses 80 patients who are disabled and some previously abandoned.

Speaking to the Highway Mail, caretaker Futhi Mkhize said the home came about after there was a need in the community. “Healthcare workers who did home visits realised that disabled people were not taken care of properly. There is still a stigma around disabled people where family members would even hide them,” she said.

She said the idea of the home also added to Pastor Thabathe’s vision for the Embo community, but they did not have the means to fulfil that vision.

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“The home is a joint effort by the community who saw the need and worked towards it. Pastor Thabethe donated land, and Mary Ann came up with a plan to organise fundraising – through that, some sponsors came through, which include the Kloof Rotary clubs.”

Futhi said the home is a warm, loving place thanks to their caretakers who work both days and nights. “We have caretakers and cleaners who are paid a stipend. The caretakers are trained by us, and at a certain period, they put the training to use. We also have a physiotherapist who comes in once a week to do much-needed exercises with some of our residents,” she said.

Apart from donations, Futhi said they emphasise that their residents get their grant so it can help them with their own necessities. “All our residents receive grants, and that is a huge help because it allows them to buy their cosmetics and for them to have their own pocket money,”

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The newly launched coffee shop is not only to help raise funds but to open their doors to the community who wish to volunteer or spend time with their residents.
“We have other ways of fundraising where people can adopt a bed. Adopting a bed is where a person pledges to pay a certain amount for a period of time. That money contributes to the running costs of our home,” she said.

Futhi said the home is a relief to not only residents but family members who are not well-informed about taking care of people with special needs. The residents also get to socialise with each other and participate in activities that strengthen their well-being.
The community is invited to be part of this initiative by visiting the coffee shop based in the home, and they can also participate in fundraising activities. More information can be found on the Philakade Home Care Facebook page.

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