Centurion Hospice battles funding woes
The organisation is still running home-based care, despite the closure of its in-patient unit at the end of July.
One month after Centurion Hospice halted its in-patient care service, it’s bleeding financially as it is still not receiving enough donations.
The hospice in Lyttelton Manor made the difficult decision of closing in-patient care at the end of July as it could no longer financially support its in-patient care unit.
It refocused its efforts on home-based care instead.
The hospice provides palliative and psycho-social care in all areas of Centurion, and as far as Midrand, Monument Park, Olievenhoutbosch, and Pretoria West.
“We have received more donations, but nothing much to make a dent in the situation that we have found ourselves in,” nursing services manager Mokgadi Matlala told Rekord.
“What makes it worse is that many people have misunderstood the message, thinking that our entire operation has shut down.”
The misunderstanding has not only affected registrations for home-based care, which it still provides, but also the commercial activities that the hospice relies on to raise funds.
“We have been doing a lot of damage control,” she said.
The hospice began taking patients that don’t necessarily need palliative care, but rather assistance with day-to-day living.
Matlala said it is often important to start the process early.
“We have seen in the past with patients that will require palliation, assisting them early can build a relationship with them.”
Meanwhile, people who require 24-hour care at an in-patient unit are being referred to Sungardens Hospice in Pretoria east and Leratong Hospice in Atteridgeville.
While Leratong has 18 beds available, the facility is not able to provide home-based care as Centurion is still able to.
Matlala said the sister hospices would be able to manage, but this puts a strain on the available beds in the region.
“Our focus is now more on managing pain and symptoms with the aim of improving quality of life up to the end in the ways that are available to us.”
However, she says that admission at the other facilities can impact the families that need the service.
“Families may have to travel far distances, reducing the frequency that they may be able to visit their family member, while especially affecting the elderly patients, as spouses may not be able to travel the distance in their old age.”
Centurion Hospice chose to prioritise home-based care to effectively provide care with the resources that they had.
“Unless we have sustainable funding, it is very difficult to offer 24-hour palliative care.”
Specialised staff and the types of medication used to provide this care are often expensive.
“Corners cannot be cut in providing the service,” said Matlala.
“For some patients, they have already spent a lot of money on curative treatments and medical care before they need palliative care.
“Even patients that have medical aid, by the time they need hospice care, their funds might already be exhausted.”
This often means that private care is not always an option for many people, as they might not be able to afford it.
“That service, unless we have grants or support from the government, or from the public itself, whether in the form of donations of funds or goods that we can resell, is not viable.”
Apart from the difficulties of running a charitable organisation such as the Centurion Hospice, its management team says the sinkhole adjacent to the premises in Clifton Avenue played a major role in the financial bind the hospice is in.
In April, the hospice grappled with a series of serious sewage leaks on its property, resulting from blockages in the sewage line caused by the sinkhole.
Before that, the hospice was affected by a sinkhole that was repaired in 2022, before the new sinkhole formed.
According to metro spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, the metro stabilised the hole with piling, while it addressed other services affected by the hole.
Efforts have been made to address the sinkhole, most recently with the construction of a bridge that holds sewage and water lines, while a permanent wall was erected around the sinkhole.
Ward councillor David Farquharson said the sinkhole had affected everyone and every entity around it.
“The hospice was put under severe financial strain while the sewerage bypass was planned and installed.
“Please support the hospice so it can get back to its full functionality.”
He said the new retaining wall with piping for stormwater should protect the sinkhole during the coming rainy season.
“The MMC for Finance is applying for any grant that may give the city money to fix the sinkholes,” he said.
Centurion Hospice can be contacted via admin@centurionhospice.com or 012 6646175.
If you want the staff to pick up your donation during working hours for free, call 060 798 9340.
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