The Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa recently wrote an article about the wond
Memory Work is a programme initiated by Msunduzi Hospice to provide assistance and support to children living with incurable or life-limiting conditions as well as those who have parents or guardians with these conditions. The programme includes memory books, memory boxes, children’s group sessions and family counselling which aims to help children navigate their grief.
The different elements of the Memory Work programme provide many benefits for the children involved. Some common benefits provided by children’s group sessions are:
• Helps children have time outside of their regular environment to have fun with other children.
• Allows children to be educated about their rights and responsibilities.
• Through the use of tools such as the ‘River of Life’ diagram children are encouraged to identify occasions in their lives which were difficult, sad or filled with turmoil and to identify those times which were filled with peace, tranquillity and happiness. The ability to identify these times and to track the events surrounding them helps the child to measure progress, change and growth in their own lives.
• Helps bring about a spirit of togetherness, sharing of ideas and trust.
• Builds child’s self esteem
Msunduzi Hospice is an organisation based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa which provides quality palliative care and believes in quality of life and dignity in death. Msunduzi has a small paediatric programme, run by a social worker and two memory workers. Click here to read the full article.
Leave a Reply