Those people Experiencing Homelessness

The content and key messages on this page have been developed in collaboration with clinicians, campaigners, people accessing palliative care, and their caregivers. You can use this content in your social media and as part of your World Hospice and Palliative Care Day activities.

Thank you to St Luke’s Combined Hospices in South Africa for providing the following content for this section and Roxanne Torbiak and Dr Naheed Dosani from PEACH. 

WHPCA would love to hear about any projects that are working to create equity in access to palliative care for people experiencing homelessness. Please share them with us by contacting our Communications Manager.

Dr Dosani from PEACH - Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless in Canada 

Watch this powerful film to find out more: 

(9) Gimme More Than Shelter by Naheed Dosani, MD - YouTube

The St Luke's team, who work with people who are homeless are:

1.         Sr Veliswa Madikizela: Head of the Community Development Department in Khayelitsha. They have a Home-Based Care project that looks after chronically ill patients in their homes. They also offer Lizo Nobanda, which is a MRD/XDR TB In-patient Unit. Both projects are in partnership with their government’s Department of Health. 

2.         Dr Mary Hlalele: Heads the Health Services and Centre for Palliative Learning Departments. This is the clinical hub of the Hospice.

3.         Michelle Damon: Heads the Outreach Services Department which includes services offered by Social Workers, Spiritual Care Teams and Bereavement Care Teams.

Equal priority to all – breaking the Shackles of the past with no reprieve

[the legacy of past inequalities is often absorbed into services to the most vulnerable – being homeless, diagnosed with an incurable illness, in need of palliative care and being homeless is the ultimate degree of vulnerability]

Patient First! Impeccable whole person assessments for quality interventions and service delivery

[whole person assessment resulting in whole person interventions – it about the past, present and future care]

Team work makes dreamwork - Inter –, Multi -, and transdisciplinary teams in palliative care

[stakeholder engagement and involvement on the continuum of team work - internal and external stakeholder and service agencies involvement of local community structure and government structures to join forces for quality of life]

Sharing is caring

[exploration of existing and / or prospective support structures, family strengthening and / or reunification with stakeholder collaboration]