ST FRANCIS Rotarians had the pleasure of formally handing over a Lazy Boy electric chair and two syringe drivers to St Francis Hospice in Humansdorp on Monday, February 8.
Rotarian George Stegmann, who arranged the handover, said, “The Rotary Club of St Francis was able to facilitate these donations, valued at R33 000, through the generosity of both an anonymous family foundation and the Lions Club of Bremen, in Germany, for which we are deeply grateful.”
Sister Ingrid Williams, the manager of St Francis Hospice, explained why an electric chair is so important to the work that Hospice does.
“Because many of our terminally ill patients become extremely weak, many become totally confined to bed.
“The electric lazy boy is a great help because with the easy-to-use control buttons, patients are able to position themselves in the most comfortable way. During waking hours, they are able to sit upright and when they need to sleep, they can lower themselves in the most comfortable way to sleep,” Williams explained.
“It is also possible to adjust the chair to give the most support for patients with various forms of painful cancer such as bone and internal organ cancers. Many patients become short of breath when they lie flat and the Lazy Boy makes it easy for them to position themselves to relieve this.
“In addition, if a patient is too weak to stand up from a chair, the lazy boy has a feature which actually lifts the patient up to the point where it is easy for them to stand up.”
With regard to the two syringe drivers, she said, “The syringe drivers that we have been using at St Francis Hospice are about 30 years old and are very limited in their use. They are limited in the amount of medication that can be administered, as well as the number of days that they run for.
“Syringe drivers have long been used in palliative care to administer medication to patients who are no longer able to take these orally. Medications for various symptoms e.g. pain, nausea, anxiety, and restlessness are administered via a small needle under the skin and the syringe driver is set to run the medication over a stipulated time.
“Our wonderful new syringe drivers, with the latest digital technology enable us to administer more medication, more accurately. They do not run out of power and are easier for our staff and even the patient’s family or caregivers to monitor what is being given.
“We provide holistic care and support to terminally ill patients in the Kouga area and surrounds. These patients are in the final stages of illnesses such as cancer, Aids and motor neurone disease. Many of these people and their loved ones have to cope with their disease whilst living in abject poverty. Our compassionate care is available to all who need it,” added Williams.
“The year 2020 was a particularly difficult year for us at St Francis Hospice, especially as our big fund-raising events were cancelled due to the pandemic. We would not have been able to justify purchasing these wonderful aids for our patients and their families without the assistance of St Francis Rotary Club and their generous donors who made the purchase possible,” she said.
