Lambano Sanctuary was conceived in 2001 in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa. Today Lambano has grown to 4 Homes permanently caring for 28 HIV positive children between the ages of 11 and 22. All of our children have been on ARV Medication since they arrived at Lambano and are doing very well. Two of these children are working and the rest are attending various schools.
Through our experience with dealing with very ill children, we decided to open the first dedicated Paediatric Medical Facility/Hospice in Gauteng, initially only taking in ill HIV+ children. With a history of rehabilitating 85% of these little, very ill children we then expanded our services to cater for children with any life- threatening and life-limiting illnesses. With unwavering dedication and unconditional love, we micro-manage each child, going to exceptional lengths to secure the best medical treatment for them. We not only care for the child, we take care of all the social needs of their families as well.
Our In-Patient unit (IPU) consists of 16 beds and is currently run by 22 well trained, experienced and dedicated medical staff members. Our team consists of a Doctor, Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, Enrolled Nurse Assistants, Caregivers, Social Worker and Counsellor. The Home-Based Care or community care section looks after the patients after their discharge. Should a patient and family not wish to be admitted to the IPU, the patient is then nursed in their own home and we offer a consultative service to them.
We offer the following services in our In-Patient Unit:
We accept into our care patients from new-born to 18 years of age;
Our service and patient care is completely holistic and team driven;
A pain and symptom control plan is designed for each patient;
Nutritional support – we are very successful in reversing severe nutritional challenges;
We offer definitive care, palliative care, rehabilitation and respite care to children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses;
We offer counselling to our patients and their families;
Our Social Worker assists and empowers the patient’s family to care for the patient from a social perspective;
HIV & TB patients and families are counselled, tested, educated and monitored for compliance;
We empower our HIV+ adolescent patients to take responsibility for their illnesses and to ensure that they understand how to take their treatment;
Family and patient are supported by our Social Worker in getting the relevant documents to access grants e.g. Home Affairs for ID’s and birth certificates and Social Services for grants;
We equip families of our admitted patients with the necessary information and tools to continue effective care at home preventing cases of defaulting;
We bridge educational gaps by educating patient and family to understand the patient’s illness
The length of our patient stay in the IPU depends solely on the condition of the patient. The average stay is 3 months dependant on the condition of the patient, the patient is then either discharged to their family or have passed away in the IPU;
Medical Aid – the patient’s length of stay depends on the medical scheme rules. However, we do not discharge patients because there is lack of funding, rather we endeavour to and continue to care for the patient and discharge the patient when it is the appropriate time.
Home-Based Care:
We come alongside the families and patients to empower them with knowledge regarding medical and social matters;
Prior to discharge of the patient our Social Worker and Counsellor visit the patient’s family to establish what the social and family dynamics are;
We ensure that the family is coping with the sick child at home and that the child is taking their medication and that the patient is attending clinics as required;
Our medical team also determines, at the home visit, if the patient’s condition has deteriorated and if so they are either admitted to hospital or re-admitted to our facility.
Our facility is accredited by the Hospice Palliative Care Association of SA (HPCA) and all our processes and procedures are transparent. We are also registered with the Board of Health Care Funders (BHF). We are strictly monitored and evaluated in every aspect from financial management and governance to broader quality assurance.
Lambano is based in Germiston, Gauteng.
Contact them via email info@lambano.org.za
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