HOME-BASED HEALTHCARE TREATS VULNERABLE PATIENTS

October 2021.

Cookhouse Wind Farm’s Primary Healthcare Programme now incorporates ‘Home-Based Care and Home Management’, which provides services for bedridden patients and the most vulnerable community members in the Adelaide and Bedford area.

Rina Constable is one of the dedicated three team members, who have received special home-based care training by the Nightingale Trust, a Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA)-accredited training provider. These healthcare practitioners are now providing homecare for a number of households, for around 20 community patients, on a typical day.

Mrs. Thembeka Sawule, (67 years), Red Location, in Adelaide, is one of Rina’s grateful patients, who receives healthcare and medication. “We appreciate Rina’s visits, she reminds us of our pill-collection dates and treats us with dignity.”

Without the services many elderly community members who are bedridden and don’t have a support network, aren’t able to access medication or attend regular clinic health check-ups. Left untreated, these community members are at risk of becoming more ill. Rural communities, which are frequently farm communities, need to travel long-distances to access health care services, and for disabled or elderly patients the costs of frequent travel is usually something that they cannot afford, resulting in these community members avoiding the needed treatments for extended periods.

“This programme is an extension of the Cookhouse Wind Farm Healthcare Flagship initiative, which was launched in January 2018, and includes funding for healthcare, equipment and other requirements. The programme is a high impact initiative, benefitting the communities of Adelaide, Somerset East, Cookhouse and Bedford,” explained Tshepo Kgoloane, Community Operations Manager for Cookhouse Wind Farm.

All programmes are delivered in partnership and consultation with the Department of Health, in an effort to boost primary healthcare.

Referring to the overarching programme, which also includes a mobile clinic that provides care for farming communities, Sister Siphokazi Ngcaku, Sub-District Manager of the Department of Health, Fort-Beaufort, said, “This programme has had a huge impact since its inception stage. For example, beneficiaries are getting treatment as expected, they are referred when necessary for further care and they are seen in their work setting without being taken from work the whole day. These means that fewer clients in rural and farming areas default treatment.”