Stepping Stone Hospice's Memorial Day will take place on Sunday, 16 September, from 12 noon at the hospice's In-Patient Unit in New Market Park.
This annual event sees families and friends gather together to remember their loved ones and reconnect with the people who cared for them in their last days.
"This will be our fifth Memorial Day since opening our doors in 2013," says Stepping Stone Hospice CEO, Tersia Burger. "To date, we have had over 1200 patients pass away under our care; people who we remember with love and fondness. On a personal level, I also honour the life of my daughter Vicky Bruce on this day. She was our very first patient, our very first death, and the reason that Stepping Stone Hospice exists at all."
After months of planning and designing and negotiating, it's finally happening. The Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services' In-Patient Unit will be extended from an 8-ward unit to a 14-ward unit, all thanks to the combined efforts of Kim Scanell from Grayston Travel, Russell Cruickshank from Cornerstone Projects, Thersea Corrigan from SCS Architects and a fantastic team of sponsors and donors.
When the call came from Kim that she wishes to donate a 435sqm, second-hand park home, previously used as offices, to the hospice, the team at Stepping Stone Hospice, accepted the offer without hesitation.
Training, internal and external, forms an important part of the Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services' vision, and therefore the upskilling of nursing students is one way to ensure that all patients receive the excellent nursing care this hospice is known for.
Sister Sheryl Newman, head of clinical services at Stepping Stone Hospice, explains that regular and updated training is provided to all staff. "Our hospice has also embarked on a programme where we provide the practical training for students studying the theory at various institutions such as the Weiners Training Academy in Sandton."
Bet.Co.Za in Alberton Mall more than went the extra mile on Mandela Day last Wednesday with their visit to Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services in Alberton. Not only did they volunteer to paint the recently donated Jojo tank, but handed over food parcels to some of the hospice's patients in the In-Patient Unit.
Mandela Day 2018 last Wednesday brought with it some very special moments at Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services in Alberton. They received a visit from the Gr12 class of the Royal Schools in Albertsdal who not only elected to clean the vegetable patch where the hospice's new extension is soon to be erected, but also met with some of their patients in the In-patient Unit, listening intently to the journeys the patients are on and giving hugs where needed.
Marist Brothers Senior Primary School in Linmeyer handed over a donation of R55 000 on Friday July 13 to Stepping Stone Hospice - funds raised by the learners after a talk by CEO Tersia Burger, at the school on June 8 this year.
The annual "Come Whine with Me" event, hosted by Stepping Stone Hospice especially for the ladies, will this year bring an exclusive element to it - a talk by renowned Colour Therapist, Sonet Erasmus on the impact of colour on our everyday lives.
The heart breaking story of how Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services was started, was enough inspiration for a group of ladies from Glenvista to jump into action and organize a massive fundraiser in aid of this hospice.
The Ladies' Mad Hatter Tea Party, held on Saturday 30 June at the Art Farm in Eikenhof, resulted in a R75 000 donation towards Stepping Stone Hospice as well as a R5000 Spar voucher.
With only their second tournament held in aid of Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services, the Alberton Bowls Club has almost doubled the amount raised from the previous year.
An amazing R24 000 was donated to hospice as the 6 week "Stepping Stone Hospice Trips" came to an end on Saturday 30 June 2018. Last year saw an amount of R11 000 raised through this tournament.
Ride for Stepping Stone Hospice in the 2018 Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge
Stepping Stone Hospice is aiming for over 100 riders this year - with your help we can surely achieve it!
Why ride for us?
Our patient's dignity and safety are of the utmost importance to us and it stands to reason that a person with a criminal record that can negatively impact on our patient's safety and security, cannot be employed or be allowed to volunteer at Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services or any other similar facility. It is for this reason that we subscribe to the requirement stipulated by the Hospice Palliative Care Association that all staff and volunteers working with the most vulnerable people, requires a Police Clearance Certificate.
We honour and respect our patients both in life and in death. The patient's dignity is of the utmost importance to us and carries through to us saying our final goodbyes.
Standing a guard of honour when the patient is being fetched by the funeral parlour, forms part of our care for that patient and his/her family and our own closure.
We pick flowers from our memorial garden for the family members who, in turn, put it on the shroud covering the patient as he/she leaves the In-Patient-Unit.
Whilst the adults are still hibernating and contemplating whether they should or should not take up the challenge of the annual 947 Telkom Cycle Challenge, our kiddies are stepping up and committing to ride for a purpose.
No one can predict the future. Terminal illness or accidents can strike at any moment, rearranging lives, altering priorities, taxing financial and health care plans.
Yet most of us still don't like talking about the type of care we want at the end of our lives. So what if you unexpectedly became very sick? It might be hard for you to think about what treatment or care you may want. You might even be so sick that you cannot communicate. If that happens, your doctors and family may need to make decisions for you.
"The impact of donations to our charity shops and the sale of these items can never be underestimated as it makes up at least 60% of the shortfall on our annual budgeted income," says Tersia Burger, CEO of Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services.
Working at a hospice exposes us to every kind of human emotion and experience. What we have learnt is that we all have a story. We all experience heartbreak, heartache, uncertainty and difficult times in our lives. Courageous Conversations was borne out of this knowledge. Courageous Conversations is about talking about the 'unspeakable' issues that we are often confronted with and have no outlet to express or learn coping mechanisms for…
Hospice is not a place but a ‘philosophy of care’ for people facing a life-limiting illness. It addresses a patient’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs, and also helps support those who love them.
A common misconception about hospice is that it is ‘a last resort’ and that a person must be bedridden or unable to communicate in order to receive help.
Read MoreOur palliative trained nursing sisters visit patients in their own homes. The nursing sister co-ordinates the care and liaises with other hospice team members such as the doctor, social worker, community care workers, volunteer caregivers and other professionals who may be involved in treating the patient.
Most people choose to receive hospice care in their homes; however, when a symptom such as pain cannot be managed in the home, patients can choose to receive care in our inpatient hospice unit.
We place trained care-workers in the patient’s home to care for the patient’s needs. The care, according to the patient’s need, can be from one day a week to up to 24 hour nursing, alternating between two care-workers.
Grief is personal and won’t ever be experienced by two individuals in exactly the same way. That person alone knows the depth of their grief and they need to listen to their own inner coping strategies. There are some people who get stuck at a certain point in their grieving journey
Working at a hospice exposes us to every kind of human emotion and experience. What we have learnt is that we all have a story. We all experience heartbreak, heartache, uncertainty and difficult times in our lives. Courageous Conversations was borne out of this knowledge. Courageous Conversations is about talking about the 'unspeakable' issues that we are often confronted with and have no outlet to express or learn coping mechanisms for…
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