A dignified goodbye at House Zietsman

For Welda Mouton, House Zietsman, a sub-acute medical, hospice and palliative care facility in Windhoek, gave her family something precious during her mother’s final days: time to be together.Mouton’s mother had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and was in and out of hospital. At home, Mouton’s father was the primary caregiver, assisted by other caregivers.As the disease progressed, Mouton recounted that caring for her mother became increasingly difficult.She shared her experience on Monday, during the commemoration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. It was observed on 10 October under the theme ‘Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care’.“It was a difficult journey,” she said, noting that her father’s role as the primary caregiver was not easy to navigate.Doctors eventually recommended that the family take her mother to House Zietsman. There, they could visit, sit beside her bed and spend time together as a family.“House Zietsman gave our family time again. It gave us the opportunity to say goodbye to my mother in a dignified way,” she said.Her mother died in August 2025, aged 63. For Mouton, the memory of that loss also carries gratitude for the care that surrounded her family.“We had a chance to say our goodbyes. I can’t explain the feeling to you.“We could visit her and sit by her bedside and have family time,” she said.Mouton said this type of end-of-life care is invaluable, particularly for families without medical aid and those whose cover becomes strained by the costs of terminal illness.She praised and thanked the team at House Zietsman for their work.N$4m boostHer account offered a personal perspective, said FirstRand Namibia Foundation chair Clara Bohitile, adding that people often fail to see the profound impact of the work done at the facility.FirstRand on Monday announced that the foundation has committed nearly N$4 million over three years towards specialised palliative care at House Zietsman.She said behind the funding figures are families facing experiences like Mouton: the demands of caregiving, the progression of serious illness and the need for support when care at home becomes difficult.“Through this funding, five state patients who would otherwise have limited access to specialised palliative care will receive this essential support at no cost to themselves or their families,” Bohitile said.She described palliative care as a service that reaches beyond the management of symptoms. It also eases discomfort, offers emotional support and helps families navigate the uncertainty and distress of serious illness.“It is about recognising the person beyond the diagnosis and ensuring that, regardless of their circumstances, they are treated with dignity and compassion,” she said.An overlooked needSpeaking at the ceremony, Dr Theo-Ben Kandetu, deputy executive director in the health and social services ministry, said palliative care extends across clinical disciplines and its focus includes symptom relief, pain management and psychosocial support for patients and their families.“It is about dignity,” he said, adding that the challenge is to make that care accessible to people whose financial circumstances might otherwise place it out of reach.Kandetu said the Palliative Care Fund, established in January, supports financially vulnerable cancer patients known to medical teams at the Dr AB May Cancer Care Centre and through the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN’s) support programmes.He said the ministry would work to strengthen the policy environment for palliative care, including through the urgent finalisation of the Cancer Control Plan.Kandetu urged other businesses to follow the foundation’s example, saying the fund needs sustained contributions.“Step forward, invest in human dignity, and partner with us to ensure that no Namibian faces serious illness without comfort and care,” he said.

A dignified goodbye at House Zietsman

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-21

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A dignified goodbye at House Zietsman

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-21

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