SOCIAL WORK
Most patients long to go home after a stay in hospital, but for some ‘home’ is not a safe place where they can easily heal. A social worker practises alongside other government groups, NPOs, doctors and schools to show a patient what their ‘next steps’ after hospital are. This is not always an easy solution as resources are very stretched in many directions, especially in respect of dealing with drug rehabilitation and mental health.
However the day-to-day victories may be seeing that a child goes to school, that a mentally ill person gets ongoing care, an abused child is placed in protection or an elderly person reconnects with family. Our social workers do all they can to make going home something that patients look forward to.
Click to see images of Imizamo Yethu and Lavender Hill.