St. Joseph's Intermediate Paediatric Care

Breastfeeding is an integral part of mother and child health and development as the benefits of breastfeeding are well documented around the world. Theresa believes that every single person can play an active role in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding, even if they haven't personally breastfed a baby. This is not a mandate that is limited to maternity wards only, but includes all of us, even within our personal lives.

Join her on Wednesday 2 August when she kicks off Breastfeeding week with her views on the benefits of breastfeeding.
Discussion points include:

• Benefits of breastfeeding a sick child

• Supporting breastfeeding during hospitalisation

• Options of feeding - WHO order of optimal infant feeding

• National Dept of Health: 6 Safe Conditions for Infant Formula Feeding

• HIV and breastfeeding

• Breastfeeding and returning to Work.

Breastfeeding with Theresa Theresa Swanepoel - Registered Dietitian at St Joseph's Intermediate Paediatric Care.Theresa Swanepoel qualified with her post-graduate diploma in Dietetics ...

Our young patients celebrating the life of Madiba who was also affectionately known as the Father of the Nation.
Song credit: Artist - Miriam Makeba
Song title - Pata Pata

Madiba Dance Celebration Mandela Day 2023 Our young patients of St. Joseph's Intermediate Paedriatic Care celebrating the life of Madiba who was also affectionately known as the Father of the Nation....

"On behalf of the board, management team and staff of St Josephs, we congratulate our board member, Archbishop Stephen Brislin on his appointment as a Cardinal by Pope Francis. We wish him well in his new position and pray for his continued success", says Adrian van Stolk, St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care Board Chairperson.

Cape Town’s Cardinal-elect speaks of ‘bewilderment’ at being promoted by Pope Francis Cape Town’s Archbishop Stephen Brislin said the news of his being named one of 21 new cardinals from around the world, including three from Africa, by Pope Francis on Friday was a surprise.

Mandela Day 2023 Patient Welfare Projects

Laundry Equipment and consumables
Providing intermediate care to 175 medically fragile children is our primary service. We must therefore maintain strict hygiene and cleaning protocols. The average stay of our young patients is six months. Our washing machines and driers are in operation daily to clean the children’s bedding, clothing, and towels. Wet weather in the winter months in addition to loadshedding increases the use of the laundry equipment. Just recently one of machines ceased, making it more difficult to get the washing done during the restricted power supply times. To replace a 25kg washing machine is costly. In addition, we spend close to R200k on laundry cleaning consumables per annum.

Food security
Depending on the diagnosis of our young patients, our resident dietitian formulates an eating plan for each child. We provide 3 meals daily (365 days p.a.) + snacks + school lunches as well as food packs for their hospital appointments. Our food bill per annum amounts to just over R1m.

Garden spaces
We’re creating inviting patient / parent garden spaces. This Mandela Day we’d like to spruce up our gardens and we invite you to donate an iceberg rose bush or a lemon or orange tree.

We all know that many hands make light work, so if you’re keen to roll-up your sleeves and work on the garden project please contact us.

We welcome assistance in any of these areas. Connect with us on [email protected].

Thankful Thursdays. Huge thanks to our Child Protection Committee for initiating a week long sock drive and encouraged staff to donate socks to keep those little and not so little feet of our precious patients warm. SJH Staff you are the best! Thank you for collectively donating over 300 pairs of socks. This initiative was one of a series of activities which focused on the well-being and safety of young children in our care.




Vania Van Wyk
Felicity Mbambani

In celebration of International Children’s Day, the children at St. Joseph’s were treated to a Dinner and Show in the main hall on Thursday 1 June.
This celebration would not have been possible without the generous support of spearheaded by Mr Trevor Erasmic. Our young VIP patients were seated at beautifully decorated tables to enjoy a roast dinner prepared by St. Joseph’s very own master chef, aunty Cindy. Preceding dinner they were entertained by a team of Jazzart dancers who had them clapping and dancing to Pharell’s Happy and some Amapiano songs. Thank you to the team at Jazzart Dance and happy 50th Anniversary wishes from all at St. Joseph’s. A huge THANK YOU to all the St. Joseph's staff and interns who volunteered and stayed after hours to make this day extra special.
Children’s happiness and well-being are at the heart of healing, and we celebrate each child who is in our care, recovers and can be reunited with their families.

Meet St. Joseph’s uncle Stanley, the King of the Castle who celebrates his 65th Birthday.

Stanley Adams: The King of the Castle - St. Joseph's Home St. Joseph’s is a non-profit paediatric intermediate care facility providing post-acute palliative, restorative, rehabilitation and respite care.

Stanley Adams affectionately known as uncle Stanley to many, celebrated his 65th birthday with his former colleagues, colleagues and the children of Daisy ward as well as some special guests amongst other Mr Nimmy Abrahams, Western Cape Scouts Regional Commissioner.
As always there were endless messages of acclaim and appreciation for Stanley. His love, inspiration, concern and attention to detail all speak volumes of the wonderful person we’ve come to know and love. He is OUR uncle Stanley!
Happy, Happy Birthday Stanley, may you be blessed abundantly with good health and God’s unconditional love.

Warm wishes this Mother's Day to the mom's of our very special young patients.

Warm hugs and heartfelt gratitude to all the mom's at St. Joseph's who give our children tender love and care.

Enjoy all the spoils that come your way today.

Thank you Bee Inspired for spoiling our Nurses today. 💖

Full details of this Position can be found on our website https://stjosephshome.org.za/child-and-youth-care-worker/
Closing date 19 May, 2023

Full details of this Position can be found on our website https://stjosephshome.org.za/multimedia-designer/
Closing date 24 May, 2023

St. Joseph's is so happy to be able to share our Hydrotherapy pool with . It's a joy to see the smiling faces and know that more children get to benefit and improve their quality of life.

To EVERYONE at Minus40, a HUGE HEARTFELT thank you for your donation of these much needed fridges for our little patients' prepared milk formula. Thank you also for partnering with us so that we can continue to offer some of the Western Cape’s most vulnerable children holistic, family-centred, intermediate care.

Thankful Thursday

Easter Egg-citement at St. Joseph’s was made possible by donors who gave generously and ensured that our very special little and teen patients in all our wards were spoilt by the Easter bunny.

From everyone at St. Joseph’s we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for this wonderful gesture.

Thank you to the , Caregivers, & Network, Bass Gordon, Finance, , School, and Design Centre.

A Cyber Safety Workshop was held last Tuesday for St. Joseph’s teens. We are confident that the children have benefitted significantly from this very interesting and enlightening workshop.

Occupational Therapy Supervisor, Asgeree Dalvie says, "Cellphone usage and social media has become common practice in our daily lives. We recognize that it is the preferred mode of communication amongst the youth and adolescents. Therefore given the dangers of uncontrolled access to online sites and social networks, we felt it necessary to create an awareness amongst our children regarding online safety.
An awareness/education session on cyberbullying and online safety was presented to our boys and girls aged 13-16, by Nomfundo Ralante, a facilitator from the Film and Publication Board. The session was informative, interactive and well received by the children."

The cooler weather has arrived a bit earlier than expected and has prompted us to work on our winter stock. We’re having to replenish our stock of cot sheets, cot comforters and bath towels. These will be our focus for the month of April to ensure that our children are tucked in snuggly. Read more on St. Joseph's and our paediatric intermediate care https://stjosephshome.org.za/how-to-help/

Home - St Joseph's Home St Joseph’s is a non-profit paediatric intermediate care facility providing post-acute palliative, restorative, rehabilitation and respite care.

Soaking up some Vitamin D before winter sets in.

Oh! what a beautiful morning. This morning our rehabilitation care workers from the therapy department spent time with our little ones in the glorious sunshine.

“The body creates Vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D also helps to regulate the amount of calcium in the body, which is needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy”, explains Matron Audrey Gourrah.

Head of Therapy, Faiza Achmat added, "At St. Joseph’s opportunities for outdoor activities are grabbed when it arises. So, when it is a lovely sunny day, our little ones are gathered by staff and taken for outdoor walks and play. Not only is it good for their health and has benefits for their gross and fine motor development, but it also stimulates their senses, facilitates creativity and provides them with moments of joy."

For inspiring stories sign-up to our newsletter https://stjosephshome.org.za/get-in-touch/ -signup

Today we celebrate the team of Social Workers at St. Joseph's. A team of spirited and committed ladies who supports the admission, placement & journey of the child and makes sure that when SJH children are discharged that they are successfully reintegrated with the family and or community. These services include collaborating with other health, welfare & educational service providers to ensure continuum of care after discharge.

Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph is celebrated on 19 March. We the children, management and staff at St. Joseph’s home are grateful to Saint Joseph and the Pallottine Sisters who play an integral part in the establishment of and the services we offer at St. Joseph’s Home for Chronically ill Children since 1935.
At St. Joseph’s we are a bridge from hospital to home for some of the Western Cape’s most vulnerable children. Read how SA’s only transitional paediatric care facility was started. https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/get-to-know-us/our-history/
Sister Elizabeth at St. Joseph's says, "The Sisters named this home after Saint Joseph because he was a man for others, a man of faith and courage, he was an obedient and humble man, a selfless and good leader and worked hard at caring for his family. All of these characteristics formed the foundation of the St. Joseph's Home for Chronically ill Children."

Four year old Lulo came to St Joseph’s for ongoing rehabilitation following a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). The team assessed and designed a rehabilitation programme to help regain her mobility and strength. Physiotherapy, especially Aqua therapy, played a major role in her recovery strategy. Physiotherapist Melissa Rijs says, “Her lower limb strength and mobility has improved to the point that she can now walk independently and is starting to climb stairs. We are so encouraged, it’s truly amazing what Aqua Therapy can do.
Sign up for our newsletter to follow our miracle stories.
https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/get-in-touch/

Thankful Thursday

With over 500 nappies being changed daily, we have a big demand for nappies. As a non-profit organisation it’s a mammoth task to have a regular supply of nappies for our paediatric patients. We’re so thankful to the team at Mediclinic Louis Leipoldt who visited with us on Friday 10 March armed with a much-needed supply of nappies.
Hermien Everts Manager of Patient Experience at Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic Southern Africa says, “Mediclinic Louis Leipoldt has a special place in their hearts after one of our paediatric patients was transferred to St Joseph’s Home.
We launched the Nappy Drive where the units and departments challenged each other to donate 1 pack of nappies. A cake raffle was held to generate more funds to buy more nappies.
It was with great excitement and humbleness that we delivered these nappies to St. Joseph's Home for Children on 10 March 2023.”
Our heartfelt thanks to the team Mediclinic Louis Leipoldt Hospital. If you would like to help us with supplies for our young patients please contact us on [email protected]
Photographed are: Members of staff of Louis Leipoldt Mediclinic Southern Africa (Nicole Snyman, Angeliq Karra, Adelle Hendriks, Alexcia Louw and Hermien Everts) and the St Joseph’s Business Development team (Dushina Arran, Felicity Mbambani and Lesley Liddle).

Due to a demyelinating brain injury Denico was almost blind, unable to talk, bed ridden and completely dependent on others. The multi-disciplinary St Joseph’s team created an intensive rehabilitation therapy programme. On discharge 8 months later, he was able to put weight on his legs, stand with assistance, and engage with the other children. Sign up for our newsletter to follow our miracle stories. Click here to connect with us
https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/get-in-touch/
Vania Van Wyk

Kindly note that the vacancy for Physiotherapist has closed

Please respond to the ad by emailing your CV to [email protected] as indicated on the ad. No corresponce will be handled via Social media. Thank you

"But the greatest of these is love" ❤

https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/donate/

Kindly note that the vacancy for Social Worker is closed.

WE ARE HIRING!!!
Please send your CV and motivation letter to [email protected]
No correspondence will be handled via social media. Best of luck!

Our staff end-of-year party was all about glitz and glamour, celebrating the OSCAR'S in style! Well done to the team that put it all together, and to all the staff who made the effort to dress up. Unfortunately some staff had to work, but the excitement and 'gees' was well felt amongst all. Congratulations to the staff who were nominated, and those who won awards. What a lovely end-off to a busy and challenging year.

World Aids Day on 1 December, was commemorated, with an educational talk for our children, prepared by our nursing staff. It was amazing to see the engagement by the children and how knowledgeable they are on the topic of HIV/Aids. Candles were lit in mourning of those who passed away of the disease.

Every child deserves hope. For wishes to come true. Can you help give our precious St Joseph’s children something to look forward to? A donation of R250/child will provide a lunch and an outing; R500/child will fund a holiday programme too. https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/donate/

All our 175 children at St Joseph’s have chronic or life-limiting conditions. As Christmas approaches, we would love to give them something to look forward to. Please consider a donation. R250/child will provide a lunch and an outing; R500/child will fund a holiday programme too. https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/donate/

St Joseph’s is the only paediatric, intermediate care facility in SA providing free care for 175 children up to 18 years old with chronic or life-limiting conditions. Please help us give them something to look forward to this Christmas by donating: R250/child will provide a lunch and an outing; R500/child will fund a holiday programme too.
https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/donate/

At St Joseph’s we have up to 175 children in our care. Please can you help us give them something to look forward to this Christmas. This is the difference you can make: R150/child will fund a Christmas lunch; R250/child will add an outing; R500/child will fund a holiday programme too. To donate, please visit our webpage
https://www.stjosephshome.org.za/donate/