Hospital Home Care Service
In Ugandan hospitals, family members are required to
provide the care for patients in hospitals - meals,
washing, personal care. If unavailable, families need to
arrange for an attendant. On discharge or when an older
person needs ongoing care at home, it can be very
difficult for family members if they far away, overseas
or in the city. TAFU has developed a Hospital Home Care
Service to cater for these circumstances. The Hospital
Home Care Service can provide trained nursing aides for
full time short or long term care in the home or in
hospital.
HHCS Staff
TAFU’s HHCS’s trained staff are appointed, not only for
their experience and skills, but also for their
reliability and dedication to the special demands of
hospital and home care service.
In addition to their nursing aide qualifications they also receive further training in care of older persons, issues regarding living with a person or family fulltime and complete a week’s training at a hospital ward.
TAFU has a strong
relationship with two palliative care services.
Services
Nursing aides can assist with personal care, prepare
light meals, help out with the shopping, collect and give
medications as prescribed by the Doctor, conduct physical
therapy such as massage and provide companionship.
TAFU staff can provide guidance on services, arrange
visits to or from the Doctor, provide transport, arrange
a physiotherapist visit to guide the nursing aides, and
manage medical bills. They can also arrange home
maintenance and improvements if relatives are absent and
keep in regular contact with relatives as requested. TAFU
charges a fee for the Hospital Home Care Service,
depending on the services the older person requires.
It is important to provide information about the older
person needing care so that the HHCS can provide a
professional service. Relatives are asked to complete the
information requested in the referral form and to meet
with or talk to TAFU. If preferred, TAFU can match the
background – gender, tribe, religion- of the nursing aide
and older person. TAFU will also visit the older person
at home or hospital to further understand the person’s
needs. While the referral process takes time, it is
TAFU’s experience that the care arrangement works much
better when the older person, relatives and TAFU all have
the same expectations about what services are to be
provided.
TAFU has very limited capacity to care for older persons
whose family members are unable to pay. However, with
financial assistance from Government, charitable
organizations or individual sponsors, TAFU could expand
the Hospital Home Care Service to include more
disadvantaged isolated older persons.
Download the HHCS referral form.