Nazareth Care African Region

The Department of Social Development approached Nazareth House with the request to provide terminal care to children, where no further medical intervention was possible. Normally these children would lie in a hospital ward or institution and pass away within a cold, clinical environment, as their families have either abandoned them, or can no longer care for them. These children have very particular medical needs, which home-based care cannot alleviate. Our Special Care Unit offers around-the-clock palliative and terminal care to medically vulnerable children living with life-threatening conditions. It is almost impossible for a child to communicate that he/she is in pain when he/she has Spastic Cerebral Palsy with Microphaly and Epilepsy. He/she has no expressive language apart from crying. Some would assume that he/she is just naughty and irritable and may neglect him/her even further. This was the situation of one of the boys in our care who has been suffering for over 9 months with severe bedsores, laying alone in a hospital, unable to contract or flex his knees, elbows and wrists, he could do nothing more than cry nonstop and excessively. We identified his crying as a plea for love and comfort when he was admitted into our care. It did not take long for our dedicated staff to pinpoint all the problems and offer immediate relief. His chronic sores would soon be healed and with the intervention of occupational therapy his positioning was changed so that his sores would not reoccur, and he would be in less pain and experience more comfort. Dedicated massage treatment to assist with the contraction of his joints, has allowed the smile to reappear on this precious child’ s face again, and if a tear is seen on his cheek, it is one of happiness. The dedicated staff members are not only focused on the wellbeing of the child, but in some cases we are lucky enough to work with the parents so that the child may be reunited with them. Encouraging this little boy's mother to spend as much time as possible with him and learn how to care for him properly, has resulted in him returning home to his family, weighing 2kg heavier and in improved health than when he was admitted.

All the children will still be placed under the children’ s act as this unit is just an extension of our existing work and not an additional program.

Care For The Aged Programme

Compared to childcare, caring for the elderly is not a priority for most donors. However, similarly to orphans the elderly are often also abused and abandoned or have no financial resources. This programme provides full-time care to 74 frail elderly in our residences in Vredehoek and Elsies River. The elderly in our care are without family support and, without exception, suffer from age related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s and diabetes. They require full-time nursing support. Security, dignity, comfort and peace in the twilight years of life For a frail elderly person without family or finances, life can be a terrifying ordeal. With Government subsidised homes for the aged stretched to the limit, care of these vulnerable elderly people fall onto the shoulders of organisations such as ours. Our services include: On-going health monitoring and personal hygiene assistance Medical and nursing care Frail care facilities for those who require more specialised care and attention Comprehensive support services such as physiotherapy and chiropody Preparation and provision of nutritious meals Individualised psychological support and counseling according to each residents needs

Charity Shop

Wish List for our Charity Shop:

Volunteers

Towels

Bedding/linen/curtaining

Toys

Baby clothes and accessories

Men’s and ladies clothes and shoes

Bric-a-brac

Kids and teenagers clothing

Furniture, crockery etc

Books, puzzles etc

One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure! If you are cleaning out, think of us. Everything from second hand clothing, furniture, kitchenware to bric-a-brac is gratefully accepted at our charity shop – where it is sorted, priced and turned into cash to help fund our homes for the aged. If you have any unwanted items you’d like to donate, please contact us on +27 (0)21 461 1635, or call in at Nazareth House.

Open Tuesday-Friday from 10:00am-12:00pm and open on the first Saturday of the month 09:30am to 12:00pm. [times may vary according to season]