Constraints on the provision of home-based care services to patients in Ward 25 of Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo Province

Abstract

The focus of this study was to assess the constraints to the provision of home based care services to patients in ward 25 of Thulamela municipality in Limpopo province. The researcher was encouraged to do this investigation due to the challenges that home based care givers experience which impact negatively on the quality of their services. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: Identifying the constraints to the provision of home based care, determining the extent to which the constraints are felt by care givers, identifying the coping mechanisms of the care givers and determining the kind of support services required and available to the home based care givers. Ethical issues such as consent and voluntary participation, no harm to participants and confidentiality will be taken into consideration. This study is explorative and descriptive in nature. Data was collected using questionnaire and interview schedule as a method of data collection and it was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The findings of this study are:

• Home based care givers experience stress in their work place,

• Finance is a challenge to the majority of home based care givers,

• Home based care givers are stigmatized,

• Majority of the respondents agree that the work load of the home based care givers is appropriate, • There is no shortage of home based care givers according to majority of the respondents, • Policies to guide home based care givers are available in the centres,

• There is a shortage of working tools for home based care givers, • The study revealed that home based care givers are attending workshops to capacitate them, • Home based care givers are not professionally counselled,

• There isa need of continuous training for home based care givers,

• There isa shortage of resources in the home based care centres and

• The study also revealed that the stipend received by home based care givers is not enough. The recommendations of this study are the following: • Home based care givers should be capacitated on how to deal with stress in the work place, • Government and other institutions should assist Home based care centres

with finances, • Communities should be continuously educated about the negative impact of

stigmatization, • The work load of home based care givers should be monitored and

managed in order to avoid burnout • Policies should always be available in the home based care centres,

• Government should ensure that there are working tools in the centres,

• Home based care givers should continuously be capacitated on issues related

to their scope of work, • Department of Health should ensure that home based care givers receive

professional debriefing and counselling,

• Government should ensure that there are enough resources needed in the

home based care centres and • Government should consider increasing the remuneration of home based care givers.