Pain and joy at hospice
ALEXANDRA – Times are changing for Hospice
The death of a nurse and two patients dampened the festive mood at Alexandra Hospice and Rehabilitation Centre but it has been lifted by the joyful anticipation of the construction of a new centre.
“The R43-million state of the art facility construction in Tsutsumani starts in February for a year before our relocation,” said the centre’s founder and manager Grace Marutlulle. The new structure, to be built by and leased from the Johannesburg Development Agency, will proceed a sad end of the year for the centre which lost a nurse who died at her home after night duty.
“She leaves behind a bereaved family and colleagues who anticipated to relocate with her. Also, we were saddened by the death of two patients who were at the end stage of their terminal illness together with the centre assistant’s mother who was laid to rest on 22 December.”
The new facility which will have a 48-bed capacity will be a far cry from the centre’s current location at the old, costly to maintain former Gordon Primary School which can only take 30 patients. “The increased intake will draw patients from the long waiting list and be serviced by professionals expected at a fully-fledged hospice.”
The anticipated 88 staff complement will include stakeholder and community liaison officers, professional nurses, caregivers, and kitchen, laundry and cleaning staff together with visiting doctors, physiotherapists and psychologists. “There will be seven wards for females and five wards for male patients together with among others, a frail care ward, physio room, prayer room, storeroom, laundry, sluice rooms, cold room, and staff, social workers, doctors and family rooms, a dispensary and a kitchen.” The two-storey structure will have offices on the upper floor and wards below.
Marutlulle is bracing for a daunting six to seven million rand fundraising drive per year to cover the centre’s management and operating costs and to attract professional personnel. “As an NPO, we currently rely on volunteers and donations which we will still need but [more of] to sustain the quality of anticipated services.
“We won’t relent in this daunting task and appeal to our traditional sponsors, including government, to up their support for the new facility. It’s an essential service infrastructure to assist the terminally ill who need humane care in their last days.”
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