Outpatient Assessments
As the awareness and knowledge of KCC grows in Kabale, many people visit the office to inquire on the services provided and how to enroll into the program. After meeting the criteria and being enrolled into the program, the team either plans a home-visit or invites the patient and caregiver to the office for an assessment by the medical team.
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When patients go to referral hospitals for care, the patients are too many in number and the doctors are too few. Therefore, it is a struggle for them to have good quality care given to them. That is why we offer out patient assessments, which has been very effective and beneficial to our patients.
Nutrition Support
Uganda, being a developing country, faces food security issues. For the elderly, this is a serious problem that they face everyday. In the rural areas, the “lucky” ones are those that get 2 meals a day. The majority face starvation and malnourishment as a daily reality. It is KCC’s objective to provide holistic care, which entails ensuring proper nutrition for our beneficiaries.
Every month, the social worker and nurse determine which patients need nutritional support to help him/her regain strength. They often purchase the following items, which are then delivered to the family as the budget and funds allow;
-Beans
-Rice
-Sugar
-Posho (corn flour)
-Mukene (silver fish)
-*Amaranth
*What is Amaranth? Amaranth is a very nutritious super grain that can be easily grown and consumed as porridge, roasted grains and vegetables. It provides plenty of fiber, protein and micronutrients. It has also been associated with a number of health benefits, including reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol levels and a boost in immunity, which is especially great for those living with HIV/AIDS.
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SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT: KCC has grown amaranth on 2 acres of land as a way to become sustainable.
Counseling
KCC’s main focus is to provide palliative care, whether in a home-based setting or in a transit home away from the village. A key aspect of palliative care is to include the family members in on the plan of care. Our experience has shown that care-givers (family members, neighbors or friends) need counseling just as much as the patients. Most family members, if present, have stopped caring for their loved ones due to the heavy physical and emotional strain involved in caring for the elderly. KCC is thankful to have a full-time Social Worker who offers the following services;
-Listening to and discussing problems, including depression, self-image, work stress etc. with the beneficiaries, family members, volunteers and the staff;
-Counseling the patients and their carers to keep the hope alive;
-Sharing the importance of medication adherence, especially those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases;
-Intervening when family issues rise, such as family disagreements over land or money.
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Day Care
After running a “pilot” study on Day Care in 2020, KCC re-started a weekly Day Care service. Every Friday morning from 8:30AM-1:30PM, 4-5 patients are invited to the office to participate in a variety of activities, such as the following;
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Devotion and Worship
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Physical Exercises (varies depending on the patient’s ability)
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One-on-One counseling- each patient is assigned to a counselor who shows up every Friday to meet with his/her patient. It allows for consistency and a relationship to form with specific goals for each patient.
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Nutrition support- The patients, volunteers and staff enjoy morning tea and a nutritious lunch together.
Evangelism and Discipleship
“Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). During every home visit, KCC’s team of staff and volunteers share about the Good News from God. The home-visits are an avenue to evangelize, where winning souls for Christ is the ultimate goal. However, it can’t stop with evangelism.
Evangelism is not enough without discipleship. After many people, both patients, neighbors and family members, started to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, follow-up was needed. Therefore, every week, volunteers from local church travel to these homes to study the Word of God with these families.
Prayer Partners
During the start of COVID-19, Uganda went into strict lockdown in the end of March 2020. Public and private transport was stopped and it was impossible to go to the villages to meet with the beneficiaries. Because of this dilemma, an idea came to connect every patient with a prayer partner located anywhere in the world. To this day, there are 30 prayer warriors praying for 30 patients.
KCC believes that only God can change the hearts of men and women, which is what these prayers are for. Every 3 months, an email update is sent out with specific answered prayers and prayer requests for each patient.
Please contact us if you are interested in being a prayer partner to one of our patients.
Radio Talk Show
Once every 3 months, KCC is hosted on a popular radio program on Voice of Kigezi to discuss health-related issues, specifically revolving around the elderly. The broadcast is estimated to reach over 100,000 people in parts of South Western Uganda, Northern Tanzania and Eastern D.R. Congo. The Radio Talk Show is a great way to increase awareness about palliative care and share resources for the listeners. From the talks, patients are enrolled into the program after listening.
