A fresh start…

Today I started my new placement at Valkenberg Hospital.  It is completely different than my placement at Nomzamo Place of Safety which focused on working with children from the ages of 0-6 meeting their needs and ensuring their safety and reuniting them with their families or in new homes.  Children were admitted for a multitude of reasons including being from a single parent household that could no longer care for them, being orphaned, abandonment, neglect, abuse of any kind and being affected or infected with HIV/AIDS.   I miss the kids but am up for the new adventure!   

Valkenberg Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Cape Town.  The Friends of Valkenberg is a trust that operates on the grounds of the hospital and was established in 1994 by the wife of a professor of psychiatry who wanted to change things in mental health and asked how she could help to improve conditions and treatment of patients.  The hospital currently serves up to 450 patients at any given time as well as those who have been discharged from the hospital.  They work with the hospital staff to support the recovery process through various activities for the patients, to help create awareness of the hospital and its work and to work to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.  This is the organization I am working with on the grounds of the hospital.  They have their own office and storage area on the grounds and use various wards and facilities depending on the activities they are running.  They also work with outpatients in a variety of ways who are still connected with work they might be doing at the hospital and also work with the staff to create a positive working environment so that patients can get the best treatment possible. 

Some of the programs that the Friends of Valkenberg help with include a daily coffee, tissue and treats trolley to visit with patients and chat with them about their day.  There is a clothing department that supplies the hospital with 80% of the hospital’s clothing for the patients.  There is the friendly shop which sells discounted clothing, household goods and other items that then help pay for necessities for patients like underwear and socks.  There is also a hair salon where patients can get their hair cut and washed.  Other volunteers also run groups for the patients that include but are not limited to:  arts and crafts/ceramics, cooking classes, sewing, sports, beauty therapy etc.  They also support a cafeteria with reasonably priced meals for staff in addition to staff functions and financial support to patients in need of transportation or accommodations while waiting for government aid or grants.   In addition they work with each ward to support programming and events that staff would like to plan, help raise awareness for mental illness in the community and the hospital.  They also fundraise to help financially support upgrading the wards, buildings and grounds.  Moreover they help with food for outpatients who are hungry and may not have the money for food.  The trust also celebrates important holidays and gives treats to both the staff and patients as well as donates essential items when necessary all while fundraising the entire costs to keep the trust afloat and operating smoothly.

The staff that I met is incredibly nice and seems very excited to have my social work/mental health and sales/marketing background.  I have already been hit up to help with a variety of tasks within the office and will be helping with different volunteer groups each day that I am there which I am really looking forward to!  Here is the website if you want to read more about them http://www.friendsofvalkenberg.co.za/vision.html and what they are all about.

On a completely unrelated note…I need to share a funny realization with all of you!  What David Hasselholf is to Germans…Celine Dion is to South Africa!  I am not kidding!  They love her down here and I hear her everywhere.  If I don’t have sternum bruises from hitting my chest like she does every time she sings it will be a miracle.  If only I could get my hands on her Vegas show DVD…there might be a riot down here.  No joke…it doesn’t matter where I am…I hear her at least once a day minimally!  Seriously!  She could make a fortune in Cape Town if she just hung out here for a while…who needs Wembley when you got the Cape Town Stadium right?  I would like to also point out that I am hearing throwback 90’s hits as well as songs from the Save The Last Dance Soundtrack (a personal favorite) and even some KC and JoJo.  Got to go…Celine Dion is on the radio!  Peace out!