Sungardens Hospice

Hospice care in South Africa requires a particular approach: managing pain and symptoms while honouring dignity, coordinating across multiple specialists, and supporting families through conversations that are complex and emotional. Sungardens Hospice operates in a context where end-of-life care at home is often preferred over prolonged hospitalisation, and where practitioners need to balance medical intervention with quality of life. This involves regular home visits, careful medication adjustment, liaison with GPs and district nurses, and access to counsellors and spiritual care. In Pretoria's varied communities, practitioners also navigate different cultural and religious expectations around death and dying. The work is intensive: monitoring breathing and comfort, managing nausea and anxiety, knowing when to increase support and when to step back. Families rely on this framework to keep their loved one comfortable while they remain present at home.