Helderberg Hospice
This member hospice is located in Somerset West in the Western Cape province. To find out more please visit https://helderberghospice.org.za/.
Heidi Hendricks, social worker, Helderberg Hospice
“Empathy and patience are key elements in our work. Each patient is unique, and we as Social Workers celebrate this uniqueness, and encourage patients and families to live and make decisions as the experts of their own lives. This is where autonomy and participation in decision-making are key. This sometimes means that Social Workers are there to advocate for patients when they are perhaps no longer able to do so for themselves, for whatever reason.”
Cheryl Rundle, Donor Relations, Helderberg Hospice
“Social Workers are integral to our Inter Disciplinary Team, and their work entails a wide range of services. They focus largely on counselling and emotional support to patients and their families, to help them to adjust and cope with the challenges that come with a patient being diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. A lot of their time also goes into supporting patients and families with practical aspects such as grant applications, care planning for patients who require increased amounts of care as their disease progresses, and legal support. In addition, they have for many years run two support groups for patients. One is held at Helderberg Hospice in Somerset West, and the other is in the Macassar area, called the Macassar Lilies.”
Sophia’s Cancer Survival Journey
The Helderberg Hospice team support started off with a call to the social worker. Read the story to follow Sophia’s journey with the team from there.
