Integrated community-based home care (ICHC) in South Africa : a review of the model implemented by the Hospice Association of South Africa

The document discusses the similarities and differences between the hospice ICHC model and other home-based care models used in South Africa. The distinctive element of the ICHC model is that it includes a hospice as a coordinating and management body that works closely with local hospital and clinic facilities in providing services to people living with AIDS and their families, and does so primarily within the community. The document provides details of the responses of seven hospices to the major elements of the ICHC model, along with reflections by ICHC caregivers and professional nurses. The core elements of ICHC examined in the report are: the training and use of community based caregivers; the challenges of providing quality care in the home in a range of sociocultural contexts; the development of working relationships with a variety of health and welfare organizations and services; the establishment and development of support networks in communities; developing a continuum of care in contexts where multiple agencies are involved; and bridging the gap between education and prevention.