1st Regional Community Home Based Care Conference

P.O. Box 60397, Gaborone, Botswana

Tel: (267) 305566, Fax: (267) 305567 Email:

25 December 2000

Dear Delegate

Ref.: Announcement of the 1st Regional Community Home Based Care Conference and call for abstracts.

We are pleased to announce that the Ministry of Health, AIDS/STD Unit, Botswana will be hosting the 1st Regional Community Home Based Care Conference in the SADC Region from the 5th to 8th March 2001. The theme of the conference is - Sharing Responsibilities for Quality Care”.

Community Home Based Care (CHBC) has become an important strategy in the continuum of care of terminally and chronically ill patients and has been transformed from being an individual household responsibility to a community undertaking. This transformation has allowed the participation and support from various stakeholders. In addition it has facilitated the clarification, understanding and appreciation of different roles and responsibilities. CHBC is one of the building blocks of partnership in the provision of quality care. CHBC programmes have generated a wealth of information, knowledge and sharpened our skills in care.

The proposed conference is intended to provide a forum for CHBC service providers to share their experiences, strategic information on care and the opportunity to identify gaps in capacity building in the continuum of care. Participants will also explore and suggest ways that capacity gaps can be addressed both nationally and regionally. The workshop in particular will identify best practices and discuss how they can be replicated in other areas.

We are pleased to send you the enclosed conference information. We urge you to share the information with other potential participants in your country or within your network.

For more information please contact the Conference Secretariat. We look forward to seeing you in Gaborone.

Yours sincerely

Mr. Ephraim Ncube

Chairperson

Conference Organizing Committee

conference announcement

1.  Introduction

Community Home Based Care (CHBC) has become an important strategy in the continuum of care of terminally and chronically ill patients. The objective of CHBC is to provide quality care and support by targeting five basic needs of the clients and their immediate families i.e. physical care, psychosocial, spiritual, material support and home nursing. The quality care support provided varies from one client to another depending on the client’s health status and the ability and competence of the caregiver. Home based care has transformed from being an individual household concern to a community undertaking allowing the identification of strategic entry points and contribution by the various stakeholders including the appreciation of different roles and responsibilities. Over the past ten years sharing the responsibility for quality care has become one of the building blocks of partnerships in the provision of care. This in turn has generated a wealth of information, knowledge and sharpened our skills in care.

The AIDS/STD Unit, Ministry of Health Botswana is convening the 1st Regional Conference on Home Based Care in the SADC region to provide an opportunity for sharing information and the exchange of ideas and experiences on best practices. The conference will take place from the 5th – 8th March 2001 in Gaborone Botswana.

2.  Theme of the Conference

The theme of the conference is “ Sharing responsibilities for quality care”

3.  The Objectives of the Conference

(a) The overall objective

To provide an opportunity for the review/sharing of best practices and lessons learnt on the provision of comprehensive care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS including chronically ill and families through community home based care (CHBC) within SADC region.

(b) The specific objectives

i.  To promote the exchange of information on strategies that have improved the quality of life and reduced the burden of illness on PLWAs including the chronically ill and their families.

ii.  To assess the extent to which alliances and partnerships at the national, district and community levels have had an impact on the scope and effectiveness of Community Home Based Care activities.

iii.  To identify and analyze cultural, economic, political, social, ethical, legal and policy related factors that promote and or threaten the sustainability of CHBC strategies in the region.

iv.  To explore national governments’ responses to the impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic, including the extent to which the responses have been successful in mitigating the impacts at the individual, family and community levels.

v.  To assess the scope of the contribution of civil society organizations, including in particular NGOs, CBOs support groups, and donor agencies and private sector in advocacy, care and support of CHBC activities.

vi.  To explore approaches using CHBC programmes as an entry point to prevention, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), individual, family and community counseling in order to reduce the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

vii.  To promote effective collaboration and networking on research, training, programme development and management on the continuum of care issues among SADC countries.

viii.  To make concrete, realistic and achievable recommendations on the way forward on the CHBC programme within the SADC region.

4. Conference Programme Sub -Themes

Day / Dates / Sub – Theme
Day 1 / March 5th / Registration and official opening
Day 2 / March 6th / A community Response
Day 3 / March 7th / Care and support
Day 4 / March 8th / Challenges of CHBC

Note: The final Conference Programme will be released after the review and selection of abstracts during the first week of February 2001

5. Suggested topics for abstracts

5.1 Structural Framework and Policies:

Existing policies of support infrastructure including clinic access, nursing care, social welfare and psychological support systems; gaps in policies; existing models including governmental, church -based, NGO- based initiatives; barriers of implementations; capacity for voluntary testing and counseling; monitoring and assuring of quality of care;

5.2 Socio-Economic Issues

Financial issues on the provider side; cost-effectiveness issues; voluntarism; program costs; health insurance aspects, poverty and HIV

5.3  Needs for the Chronically Ill Including People Living With AIDS (PLWA)

and Those Affected:

Medical, nutritional, psychological, social and spiritual needs; street children and orphan care issues; family support including information, financing and emotional support, treatment/care information for PLWA and affected families; income- generating activities;

5.4 Provider Issues

Educational, psychological need for family and lay persons, community health workers, nurses, traditional healers, medical officers; burden on care givers; continuum of care including referral systems and supervision; hospice care;

5.5 Community Support:

Awareness and de-stigmatization; support groups; community training needs; cultural barriers and bridges including funeral systems, extended family systems, hierarchical social order.

5.6 Legal and Ethical Issues:

Property rights and inheritance; will writing; confidentiality of recording /reporting systems; human right issues; ethical issues in research on CHBC programs;

5.7 Gender Issues in CHBC.

Burden of care on women and the girl child. The role of men in home based care.

4