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Practical solutions to difficult problems given in new HIV/AIDS care book
Oxford University Press media release 9/9/03
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Home-based care is likely to become the dominant form of AIDS treatment in South Africa. The overwhelming majority of people dealing with HIV/AIDS are doing so with extremely limited resources. It has become clear that an effective care strategy has to include instruction on dealing with the day-to-day requirements of patients without access to the latest medical supplies.
Home-based HIV/AIDS care by Leana Uys and Sue Cameron, a groundbreaking new book published by Oxford University Press, is one of the first texts directly addressing this crucial need. The book seeks to offer practical, innovative advice to those for whom hospitals are not always an option.
Many caregivers in the South African context do not have nursing training, being more often than not family, friends and community workers. The information they require therefore involves basic, practical solutions, such as using newspapers as disposable bed sheets, using plastic bags instead of gloves, and boiling implements to sterilise them.
Furthermore, it is not only the patients' needs that are important, but also those of the caregiver - enabling them to stay physically and psychologically healthy despite the pressures of their work. Home-based HIV/AIDS Care addresses this by offering advice on difficult issues such as bereavement follow-up, dealing with poverty, infection control in the home and planning for orphans.
While the book offers sound medical advice to doctors and nurses, it uses language that is also accessible to non-medical professionals. Experts in the field of home-based care from across the country have contributed to the book, and the authors are highly regarded. Leana Uys is Professor of Nursing and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Sue Cameron is head of the Education and Training Department at Pretoria Sungardens Hospice.
"A text of this sort is long overdue in South Africa", said Kate McCallum, Managing Director of Oxford University Press Southern Africa. "Many people in our country are dealing with the HIV crisis under very difficult circumstances. We're pleased to be able to offer an additional resource to caregivers."
For more information, please contact: Richard Gregory Academic Marketing Manager Oxford University Press Southern Africa Tel: (021) 595-4400 Fax: (021) 595-4431 Cell: 082 661 3528 Email: [email protected] Website: www.oup.com/za |
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