Audit of Residential Facilities, Final report - Division for Social Policy ...

nurture, train and replenish them in some way how can we possibly expect them to deliver thatkind of care…”It is also clear that some homes do not provide adequate specialised training for those staffresponsible for providing more specialised care such as Alzheimer‟s and dementia.4.5 Sustainability / FundingFor many homes, the government funding is proving insufficient. At present, funding for HFA isbased solely on pension and subsidy rates and only for frail care residents. A number of homesthat have very few frail residents receive a small percentage of their funding from the governmentsubsidies and would consider becoming private. There is a concern if this happens as thegovernment loses an important resource that should be used to address the needs of olderpersons choosing the option of going into an old age home.The majority of homes are finding it difficult to deliver a suitable level of care, and in terms ofmeeting the national norms and standards many are unable to fully fulfil the requirements withoutreceiving additional financial support. Hence all homes do the best they can while operating in adifficult funding environment.Some homes have tried to raise funds from other sources such as the Lottery, NationalDevelopment Agency and corporate donors but most of the homes do not seem to do this. Therewas also a reliance especially on white Afrikaans churches to receive donations from churchmembers for the homes or to support the homes in their fund-raising activities. The sustainabilityof these homes therefore becomes questionable in the long-term and as a result more and morehomes are charging rates that far exceed the monthly pension and subsidy. This means that theyhave a justifiable reason to ensure their continued existence while at the same time excludingmany who cannot afford the exorbitant rates.The capacity of many of the homes must also be developed as part of a sustainability strategyespecially with those homes that are in previously disadvantaged areas. This capacity buildingshould focus on building the management and staff capacity to enhance their service deliveryand overall management of the home, to provide support in developing the necessary systems,policies and procedures, provide other OD support needed and to offer mentoring to the homes.63 | D S D A u d i t o f R e s i d e n t i a l F a c i l i t i e s