Home Community-Based Care | Western Cape Government

Home Community-Based Care

Description:

nurse-providing-careHome community-based care (HCBC) promotes good health and the prevention of ill health while providing rehabilitative care.

It can also empower a community to take care of its health through education and training.

This service is useful if you're ill and require home care. It’s a collection of activities that can help you:

  • maintain your health and well-being,
  • prevent illnesses and disability,
  • care for minor health problems and long term conditions, and
  • recover from illnesses and hospitalisation.

HCBC services allow you to recover in familiar surroundings with loved ones.

Who can benefit from this service?

You can receive HCBC if you:

  • compromised functional status requiring supported self-care,
  • treatment adherence and support needs, and
  • end-of-life care needs.

If you need HCBC, a nurse will visit you at home to assess your immediate health care needs and direct how your care plan and appropriate interventions and treatments must be delivered by Community Care Workers (CCWs). Your needs will also be reviewed regularly.

CCWs are responsible for developing stable personal relationships with your household, which builds understanding, empathy, and trust.

If you need this service, your healthcare worker can help you adjust at home by considering personal factors such as your coping abilities, lifestyle issues, behaviour patterns, and habits.

Please note: CCWs do not provide around-the-clock, ongoing care.

Receiving care after hospitalisation

If you’ve been hospitalised, you may need home care after being discharged. CCWs will support you and they’ll assist you by providing care and support for up to 6 weeks.

Patients who live with HIV, TB, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and mental illnesses can also be assisted with their prescribed medication intake.
Instructions:

Community education

CCWs have an important role to play in educating communities and interacting with households on a regular basis.

CCWs focus on projects and activities to reduce risk factors that contribute significantly to the burden of disease such as:

  • poor hygiene, for example not washing hands often,
  • childhood illnesses, which can be prevented by immunisations,
  • developmental milestones, for example the importance of crawling,
  • safer sex, for example using a condom,
  • violence and bullying,
  • use of tobacco and alcohol,
  • substance abuse,
  • nutrition, and
  • physical inactivity.hands-doctor-patient

    The CCWs also offer a service package to the whole family, including checks on the children in your home. These services include education on:

    • TB case-finding,
    • reproductive health advice,
    • healthy pregnancy and safe delivery,
    • promotion of general hygiene, and
    • safety in the home.

    How to access this service

    Although this service hasn’t been implemented in all areas, you can contact a public health facility near you for assistance.  
    Provided At: These facility categories:
    Provided by:
    Government Body:
    Department of Health
    (Western Cape Government)
    Price:

    All hidden costs incurred by the NPO partners are not adequately subsidised and in order to prevent a dependency syndrome, a small freewill contribution could be made to the NPO partner to reimburse transport costs incurred by their volunteers.
    Related
    The content on this page was last updated on 2 November 2021
    Department of Health
    (Western Cape Government)