Headed by Sr Marja Baard, Rynpark 6 Frail Care believes in continuous training and upliftment of its staff to continue the high level of care they provide for the frail. As such, they have partnered with Hospice East Rand for palliative care training.
The benefits are numerous says Sr Marja sighting that her staff receive practical training on a day to day basis but lacked the theoretical knowledge as to why palliative care patients felt or reacted in certain ways.
“Palliative care is not just about pain management but about understanding a patients symptoms in a holistic manner taking the physical, mental and emotional aspects into account and finding the most appropriate and beneficial way to help the patient. This also extends to family members, understanding their emotions and needs and working around these in the best interest of the patient”, Sr Marja says.
Sr Sindisiwe Mdlalose who heads up training at Hospice East Rand explains that palliative care is required for a wide range of life limiting illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, AIDS and diabetes. Palliative care training is not only necessary for professional and enrolled nurses working with these patients but benefits caregivers and family members of patients as well.
Drawing on their extensive experience in palliative care, Hospice East Rand is running an “Introduction to Palliative Care” course for professional nurses. This course runs for a period of 5 days and content covered includes:
- Palliative care within the healthcare system
- Patient’s rights, standards and ethical principles
- Teamwork
- Referrals and retention in care
- Experience of illness
- Caring relationships
- Loss, grief and bereavement
- Spiritual and cultural care
- Pain assessment and management
- Care of the carer
- Workplace task and mentorship
For more information about this course or to enrol please contact Sr Sindisiwe Mdlalose on 011 422 1531 or sindi@hospiceeastrand.co.za