Hospice: St Francis Hospice
Written by: St Francis Hospice
Message: Palliative care is provided to families and caregivers as well. Our members deliberately extend the comprehensive psychosocial and spiritual expertise that they provide.
St Francis Hospice continues to care for grief-stricken family, after the patient passes away
After losing their eldest son in 2020 and their mother in 2021, the following year brought another extremely difficult loss for the Rossouw family when they lost their young son to cancer.
The 10-year-old patient was referred to hospice for home-based palliative care and psychosocial support. Unfortunately, the patient passed away in the same month that he was admitted into hospice’s care.
However, during the time spent caring for the patient, the hospice team identified that the family of six needed assistance in many ways.
The patient’s two siblings, who were aged 11 and 6, were also not attending school. Additionally, their father experienced challenges gaining employment.
The multi-disciplinary hospice team identified that education for the siblings needed to be prioritised and that the children needed assistance advocating for their right to education.
Hospice assisted with the process of communicating with a school in the area to get the children admitted.
Furthermore, there were also physical needs hospice assisted with. Through donations from the public, we were able to supply food parcels, blankets and clothing which provided some relief.
Social workers not only assisted the family members in their bereavement, but helped the family move forward with dignity and compassion.
