Due to funding cuts, the Stellenbosch Hospice has set out to implement a new funding strategy by creating more price-accessible options. This includes a cupcake sale on 1 September, fundraising walks, and a high tea, according to Jennilee Geduld, the general manager at Stellenbosch Hospice.
The goal is “to get the whole community on board”, said Geduld. This year, the hospice experienced major cuts to its funding, she said, yet did not disclose the reasons.
(From left) Ivanesia Christians, Hildarose Swart, Chantal Myburg, and Marnus Dippenaar; employees of Stellenbosch Hospice, at a cupcake sale on 1 September. It was held to raise funds for the non-profit organisation in response to funding cuts, according to general manager, Jennilee Geduld. PHOTO: Laura Stettner
The non-profit organisation (NPO), located in the East Wing of Stellenbosch provincial hospital, provides palliative care, according to its website.
“We need to make money to keep the cars on the road and pay salaries to give people the dignity that they deserve,” said Geduld.
The hospice receives partial funding from the department of health and wellness for the beds in the ward; it must cover the remainder itself, according to Geduld.
The home-based palliative care is funded entirely by private donations, according to Geduld.
“We need these [fundraising campaigns] to keep [the] hospice alive, with fuel prices and salaries now increasing,” said Marnus Dippenaar, who works in the hospice’s finance department.
It is also possible to make physical donations, said Geduld. The organisation accepts soap, toilet paper, or arts-and-crafts supplies – as well as monetary donations directly to the hospice, according to Geduld.
The two nurses – Jenny Pretorius and Bernalene Brandt – from the home palliative care programme stand in front of the Stellenbosch hospice on 1 September. PHOTO: Laura Stettner
The Stellenbosch Hospice operates a two-tier system including external home visits and a ward at the hospice, said Geduld.
“With our support, patients don’t have to feel helpless. That is the crux of our work,” said Bernalene Brandt, a palliative home nurse.
Jenny Pretorius and Bernalene Brandt – two nurses from the home palliative care programme – offer 24/7 support for a total of 89 patients, which means patients can call them at any time for house visits or emotional support in addition to the regular home visits, she said.
The bed of Andre Frank’s, a patient at the Stellenbosch Hospice ward. He shares a room with three other patients. PHOTO: Laura Stettner
The hospice has 12 beds, so patients with no family or who require more intensive care can receive it, according to Brandt.
For Andre Frank, one of the patients, the hospice holds a special place. “They make me feel at home; it feels like family.”
The 24-year-old is one of the youngest patients and suffers from kidney failure.
“When I come here, I feel relief,” he said.
When the weather is sunny, patients enjoy gathering on the terrace of the Stellenbosch hospice’s common room, according to the website. Here, Andre Frank, one of the patients, is practising the guitar with Erin Olivier, a volunteer. PHOTO: Laura Stettner
Geduld said the hospice’s motto is: “We can’t add days to your life, but we can add life to [your] days.”