HOME CARE SERVICES
PROFILE
Introduction
There really is no place like home to provide a healing, relaxing environment when recovering from an illness, injury or surgical procedure.
Home is the place where family, friends and familiar surroundings make you feel most comfortable and help you recover faster.
Recovery is faster, so medical costs are reduced. Most importantly, family and friends are able to participate in care-giving in a familiar environment.
We help our patients live safely and comfortably in the place they know best, by doing what we know best.
About Us
At Light Home Care Services we believe service to humanity is a noble pursuit. We are a service-oriented team caring for those in need of quality home care services.
In service to those placed in our care we provide comprehensive home care services delivered with compassion and attention to the patients' dignity and privacy.
In service to the referring physician we provide prompt attention to his/her needs regarding the patient.
In service to the insurer or medical aid, we provide cost effective delivery of quality care to the patient.
In doing our jobs well we serve the community by making it a better place in which to live.
It is important to us to operate with the highest ethical standards and maintain continuous compliance with all government regulations.
In doing our best everyday, all those we serve receive the best in care and service from the team at Light Home Care Services.
Approach
Light Home Care Services is committed to having a staff of caring professionals that are licensed, certified and highly trained.
The staff works in collaboration with the client’s (patient’s) physicians to ensure the highest level of care possible.
Whether you’re recovering from illness, injury, or simply need extra help at home, we provide the level of care to meet your specific needs.
Our first priority is to have a clear understanding of your home care needs and working with you in professionally and efficiently meeting your needs.
We are the home care team between the client and the client’s doctor or hospital.
Our patients are called clients not patients, as we visit them in their own environment, where they are addressed to as individuals e.g.
Mr, Miss or Mrs, depending how they will prefer to be addressed.
Vision
Our vision is to be the homecare service provider of choice for residents in the country of Swaziland and beyond. Our quality care is delivered by well trained, dedicated professionals. These caregivers take pride in achieving the highest possible level of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Our services will continually be tailored to meet the needs of each individual client and communities we serve.
Mission
Light Home Care Services is committed to the provision of high quality professional home care and support services and to ensure the satisfaction of each customer we serve.
Objectives:
1. To provide essential health and welfare services at the client’s environment.
2. To provide the highest quality health care in the client’s residence.
3. To facilitate the attainment of the client's optimal level of rehabilitation.
4. To allow family members to remain together as long as feasible.
5. To assist the client and family to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible.
6. To augment care and services provided by our communities and hospitals through provision of home health care.
7. To create a safe referral system from hospital to home and vise versa.
Services Provided
At Light Home Care Services, we understand the importance of finding wellness and independence at home. Our team of dedicated caregivers offers professional and personal assistance to individuals who need support, therapy, and personal health aide and health education. We work closely with the client (patient), family and the client’s physician to keep our client in the familiar surroundings of his or her home during their recovery back to wellness and independence.
Services are always provided by our qualified staff, as we believe in quality of care.
SKILLED NURSING
Registered Staff Nurses and Nursing Assistance provide specialized care including:
Observation and Assessment
Wound Care / Management
Blood Pressure /Vital Signs Monitoring
Diabetes Care (Blood Glucose Monitoring)
Care after Surgery
Disease Management
Catheter Care
Tracheostomy Care
IV Therapy
Administration of injections (IM Medications)
Medication Teaching
Pain Management
Incontinence Care
Tube feeding
Family Education
QUALIFIED ANCILLARY NURSE AIDE
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) provided by Qualified Ancillary Nurse Aides offered but not limited to:
Bathing
Dressing
Grooming
Incontinent care
Assistance with transfers
Medication reminders
Toileting
Respite care for family member
Walking and Mobility Assistance
Personal care
Meal preparations
House Keeping
Companionship
The qualified Ancillary Nurse Aides work under the close supervision of a qualified Staff Nurse.
Other Services
We work in close collaboration with different disciplines. These are called when the need arises. They include;
Physiotherapist.
Clinical Psychologists
Counselors.
Occupational therapist
Spiritual Counselors.
And many more.
We also offer yearly, monthly, weekly and daily nursing check ups.
All home care staff working for Light Home Care Services are trained and qualified professionals.
We are also renting out medical equipments, they include;
Pressure mattress.
Nebulizers.
Zimmer frames
Walking sticks
Commode.
Oxygen equipments.
Wheel Chairs.
Core Values
Commitment: We are committed to each client and care provided. “We work hard, so you can relax and enjoy life”.
Accountable: We will deliver on everything we promise. “We back it up with our 24-Hour on call services.”
Respect: Treat every client with the utmost care and respect with no exception.
Integrity: Conduct ourselves to the highest level of professionalism, honesty, morals, and ethical standards.
Dependable: To be there for each client every step of the way exceeding their care needs.
Excellence: To be the best in quality and service… and in everything we do.
Resources: To use trained care staff to ensure the quality of our clients is improved.
Innovation: To constantly search and apply better industry methods, products, and technology that would increase customer satisfaction.
Supervision
We have a responsibility to provide ongoing supervision for our employees. This includes helping the care team to understand the changing needs of clients, assuring the proper limits of care according to the practice acts of the various levels of professionals, and mediating difficult relationship issues.
Providing supervision is often as important for the care team as it is for the family. The care team often work with very challenging situations in the isolation of the private home situation. There are often issues of different cultural and faith traditions, different expectations about personal schedules, eating preferences and expectations. Our supervision help to clarify the roles of the home care team, and the expectations of both worker and care recipient.
Referral
A referral can be from the client, relatives, client’s physician or any other health professional.
Where possible the client and or relatives should be aware of the referral.
A Registered Staff Nurse will visit the client to assess for admission into care.
The Registered Staff Nurse evaluates not only the client, but also the family dynamics, environment, and their surroundings to ensure the safety of the client as well as those providing care.
Because we recognize that every patient's health care needs are unique, we work together with the physician, other members of the health care team, the patient and their families to create individual care plans.
In collaboration with the client and family, the decision on type of care will be made.
Client can also be referred to hospital or client’s physician where in – patient care is needed.
ADVANTAGE OF LIGHT HOME CARE SERVICES
Care in the less costly environment at the client’s own home.
Client’s personal Doctor will supervise him/her care through us while client is in his/her environment.
Recovery from stroke and other challenges goes better when rehabilitation occurs in the home environment where people will continue to live long term.
Client has a one –on – one teaching about medication, diet or health regimens at your environment.
Patient and family is assisted to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible.
Increases compliance with prescribed treatments and therapies.
Reduces the overall cost of health care.
Unnecessary trips by client to hospitals for a simple check up e.g. wound dressing, blood pressure or blood sugar monitoring etc are reduced.
Client can be easily referred back to hospital or his/her physician.
Guiding Philosophy
We believe our first responsibility is to the clients and all others who use our products and services. In meeting their needs, everything we do must be of high quality. We must constantly strive to reduce our costs in order to maintain reasonable prices. Customers must be serviced promptly and accurately.
We are responsible to our employees, the men an woman who work with us through out the country. Everyone must be considered as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs.
Compensation must be fair and adequate and working conditions clean, orderly, and safe. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints. There must be equal opportunity for employment development, and advancement for those qualified.
We must provide competent management and their action must be just and ethical.
We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well. We must be good citizens, support good works and charities and bear our fair share of taxes.
We must maintain in good order the property we are privileged to use, protecting the environment and natural resources.
Our final responsibility is to our stakeholders. Business must make a sound profit. We must experiment with new ideas. Research must be carried on, innovative programs developed, and mistakes paid for. New equipment must be purchased, new facilities provided, and new products launched. Reserves must be created to provide for adverse times. When we operate according to these principles, our clients should realize a fair return.
Contact Person:
Sibusiso B. Dlamini (BSc Hons in Palliative Care Nursing) Midwife, RGN.
Contact Address: Light Investment (PTY) LTD
G06 Omni Centre Building Gwamile Street.
Mbabane.
Swaziland.
Cell: 7602 5334
E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Started exposure in Home Based Care in 1991, when he was working as a public health nurse for Good Shepherd Hospital in Siteki Swaziland.
He was one of the first nurses in the country to be employed by Swaziland Hospice At Home, where his responsibility included providing care and support to terminally ill patients within their homes, all over the country.
Due to his interest in home – based care and caring for terminally ill patients, he furthered his studies on palliative care in the United Kingdom, where he did his Bsc (Hons) in Palliative Care. He also worked for different hospices in the UK for 4 years.
When he came back to the kingdom, he was employed by NERCHA in 2002 as a National Coordinator for Care and Support. One of his responsibilities was to coordinate the operation of home – based care to HIV/AIDS patients.
In 2005 he was made a National Coordinator for Decentralization with the responsibility of decentralizing HIV/AIDS services in the country. This experience also exposed him in the needs of home – based care in the country.
On living NERCHA in 2008, he worked as a Consultant for the African Palliative Care Association, with the responsibility to facilitate the development of palliative care in Swaziland. At the same time he became a share holder at Mkhiwa Clinic.
Sibusiso B. Dlamini started his home – based care private company in 2003 until present. The company has always been functioning at a small scale and has cared for more than 100 clients presently.
QUALIFICATIONS
Bsc (Hons) Palliative Care (Majors in organizational management) Education and Symptom control).
Diploma in Higher Education in Palliative Care Diploma in Midwifery
Diploma in General Nursing
………
WORK EXPERIENCE
My experience is on the following: Project Management, Strategic management, change management, fund raising, education, proposal writing, report writing, human resource management, coordination etc. My experience is justified below.
Working for National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) has been a good challenge. This is because I had to start new offices in the country. I was the first National Coordinator for Treatment, Care and Support. I was the first National Coordinator for HIV/AIDS service Decentralization. That means I had to set these offices. In collaboration with the other coordinators we were able to design a coordinating tool based on our responsibilities. I have been able to start HIV/AIDS committees representing different aspects on care and support. That included committees made of different stakeholders and technicians on the area of home-based care, clinical management, nutrition, voluntary counselling and testing, rehabilitation and palliative care. From these committees I was able to form an effective National HIV/AIDS Care and Support committee. This is my advisory committee. I have been involved in designing constituencies HIV/AIDS offices and ensuring the effective utilization and forming of community offices on HIV/AIDS. As National Decentralization Coordinator, with the assistance of my workmates, I had to establish regional, constituency and community committees to coordinate the HIV/AIDS services.
Effective change and reorganization of the care structure to engage in an emergency mode to fight HIV/AIDS has been my greatest challenge. I have been able to facilitate the availability of anti retro viral drugs (ARV’s) and other drugs for opportunistic infection in the country. At the same time I had the challenge of facilitating an operation system that will make it easier for clients to be provided with quality care. A patient management computer system has been facilitated by my office to improve the management of clients on ARV’s. Home-based care store rooms were build in each and every constituency in Swaziland to increase accessibility of home based care materials by the communities. Training of doctors,
funding.
I have been involved with Swaziland Hospice At Home for the past 9 years. I was the first full time employed nurse with the organization. Since then I have been involved with the development of the organization and palliative care in the country of Swaziland.
Since hospice was the first organization to introduce professional nursing home based care in Swaziland, I was the first nurse in the country to practice professional home-based care nursing. Though that was difficult, but it was an experience that had made me understand the needs of the communities especially in regard to the HIV/AIDS impact.
My responsibilities while I was a home-based palliative care nurse involved developing the care and support structure for the communities and the development of palliative care in the country.
I attended a number of conferences in Swaziland to advocate on the need for home-based care in the country. I was also involved in educating most health care workers in nursing colleges and called to hospital or clinic meetings to discuss about home based care and palliative care. That even applies presently where hospice is considered as the centre for home base-care education in Swaziland.
Since hospice is a charity organization, from the start I had to be involved in planning on how best to secure funding for the organization. The fundraiser administrator at that time taught me the basics of writing proposals for programme funding. I then attended courses on fundraising, where proposal writing was one of the main topics. I was then involved in proposal writing for the organization. I have been involved in writing a number of proposals that were funded. That included major funding for the organization and some small funds. The major funds in which I have done includes the DFID proposal, where hospice was provided with a five- year funding, the Educational programme that is presently funded by the British National Lottery Charity Board, recently (January, 2002) I have secured 120,000 dollars from Secure the Future to help the organization in the support of terminally ill AIDS children.
I am proud again to say that I was able to secure E600, 000 from the American Embassy towards the building of the organization administration block. My responsibility to fund raise has helped improve my negotiation skills to different nationalities. I have a vast knowledge in the management of programmes, writing reports and ensuring effective implementation of programmes.
In my time with the Hospice I have been asked by the Hospice
committee to designed policy guidelines for the organization and review its operations with the intension of planning its strategic development. That gave me a lot of experience not just in designing policy guidelines, but to ensure that they are implemented.
In my capacity as Programmes Manager my responsibilities involved managing a number of programmes at Hospice. That involved ensuring effective implementation and evaluation of these programmes. It also involves ensuring the professional development of the staff within the organization. I have a lot of experience in managing community programmes.
My experience in research and HIV/AIDS has made it possible for different organizations and structures to ask for my help in conducting different researches. I have been involved in researches For UNDP and UNISWA
As a member of International Rotary foundation, (Rotarian) I have been involved in a lot of community work in the country. Been a president of Malkerns Valley Rotary Club and have been an Assistant Governor where I was responsible for ensuring proper running of the 5 Rotary Clubs in Swaziland.
