No matter where you are in the world the goal of palliative care workers is to provide comfort and a meaningful end of life experience. To help facilitate this, Hospice Northwest Ohio and St Luke’s Hospital Palliative Care center have been partnering together for 13 years this week.
Two representatives from Saint Lukes visit the Ohio facility, for around a month to learn about the hospice process and compare notes on what has been helping patients. One of the big differences is the amount of technology available at the Ohio facility, which isn´t available in Malawi.
Molly Banda is a palliative care nurse and Winasi Boma is the chief hospital administrator from St. Luke’s in Malawi. The hospice facility of the hospital only has one doctor, three nurses and a program director, however, the outpour of support from volunteers allows them to see dozens of patients every month. Offering not only care, but basic necessities such as food and blankets.
To afford the program, Malawian residents have to pay out of pocket, which isn´t always possible. To keep the program going many of the employees at Hospice of Northwest Ohio donate their own money every year to help St. Luke’s continue its work.
The money is used for things like medication, fuel, and nutritional supplements. Donations can still be made to St. Luke’s directly. They are a hospital and with many activities going that need support in addition to the end of life facility. However, they allow donations to be made towards a specific project.