Dear Students
Please visit the following links and read the short stories on Palliative Care.
Read the story once through to get its flow.
Then Read it again analytically, ask yourself the following questions:
What does this story teach about the characteristics of palliative care?
What aspects of palliative care interventions were offered in this story?
What was the impact/effect of these interventions on the patient?
What was the impact/effect of these interventions on the family of the patient?
What unexpected twists and turn happened in the story?
This questions are related to the case-study
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.
The story of the Rossouw family teaches us about the importance of holistic care in palliative care. In this case, the hospice team not only provided medical care for the young patient but also identified and addressed the various needs of the entire family.
In terms of palliative care interventions, the hospice team offered home-based care, psychosocial support, assistance with education for the siblings, and provision of basic needs such as food, blankets, and clothing.
The impact of these interventions on the patient was that he was able to receive comfort and support in his final days, ensuring that he was not alone in his journey. The interventions also helped alleviate some of the burdens and stress the family was facing.
For the family, the interventions had a significant impact as well. Not only did they receive emotional support and assistance with bereavement, but they were also able to access resources and support to help them move forward with their lives after the loss of their son.
An unexpected twist in the story was the additional challenges the family was facing, such as the children not attending school and the father struggling to find employment. This highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in palliative care, where all aspects of a patient and their family's needs are addressed.