Hello again faithful readers!
So this weekend I went to Jinja, a town on the shore of Lake Victoria, and the town is located right at the source of the NILE! It was beautiful and I had both a relaxing and exciting weekend with the other students… it was a great time to get to know everyone better and have some time away from campus!
 |
| Nile river |
 |
| View from the bus on our way to the camp where we stayed |
 |
| One of the monkey friends at our camp that jumped on our metal roof all night! At least they're cute, right? ;) |
So that was one exciting weekend, and don't worry, I took a billion photos of the monkeys, not just one! Anyway, as you have all been anticipating (maybe?), the rest of this post is about my field placement at Hospice Africa Uganda. So, we’ll begin with a little introduction to hospice. Hospice is holistic care for those suffering from long-term illnesses. Hospice Africa Uganda generally serves those with cancer and provides palliative care for patients with AIDS; however, AIDS patients are generally in and out of care often as they tend to improve and then worsen as the cycle of AIDS goes. Some patients even have both AIDS and cancer. Generally, when I thought of hospice before working with the agency, I assumed that all patients would be near-death. However, many are stable but in need of pain and symptom management. Pain can be multi-faceted, and stems from physical pain to psychological, social, or spiritual pain, so a part of hospice’s focus is on meeting the range of needs and relieving other types of pain, which is what makes their care holistic.
With that intro in mind, I have yet to have experienced a ‘typical day’ in hospice… this is Africa, of course! I typically leave campus around 7am, arrive at Hospice around 8:30, spend the day there or on home visits or doing other things, and leave between 4 and 5 and I’m back before 7! They’re long days, but I can only go 3 days per week due to my faith and action class. So while there, I generally see patients with a nurse or doctor and sometimes the social worker as well. Patients are seen in three ways: home visits for more critical patients, at the clinic, or at outreaches where many patients come to receive care and have their meds refilled. There is also a ‘day-care’ on Tuesdays at the clinic which patients are referred to if they have a higher level of social need. There patients can interact with each other and carers are given a break for time to themselves. I have been a part of the day care the past few weeks simply by interacting with patients and chatting with those that speak English (or using a volunteer as an interpreter for those that don’t!). I also have a few patients on my case load that I am working to find resources for or that have been counseled by others and need follow-up on the situations they were counseled on (ie, family matters, money concerns, etc.)… overall, though, my job is LEARNER! There’s so much to take in and understand about the illnesses and conditions of patients, family structures in Uganda, poverty, the role of social workers, the role of NGO’s, etc… and I’m doing my best to take it all in!
I’m also hoping to get involved with an advocacy project or fundraising project. Patients are not required to pay for services or meds, but are given the opportunity if they can afford it. Therefore, everything at hospice is supported by donors and there are Hospice Africa sites in the UK, Ireland and the USA that help with funding. Hospice was started by a woman from the UK in 1993… I’m currently reading her book so I’ll be able to tell you even more about her, her vision, and hospice in general once I’ve finished it!
On a somewhat unrelated note, lately, there’s been a ton running through my head about my future, as in what I’ll be doing the next few years (or at least just the next year!) as I prepare to graduate in May. God is teaching me so many things about people and the world and I’m doing my best to keep my mind and heart open. I ask that you pray with me as I also pray about and make decisions for the future!
Sorry this is a long post, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your support and interest in me! I would love to hear from you, too! Also, feel free to ask me more questions about Uganda and what I’m doing here if you have them, and please let me know if I can pray for you for anything =)
Be blessed =)
Ruth