THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF COMMUNITY-HOME-BASED CARE IN BOTSWANA: THE SITUATION OF ELECTED FAMILIES IN THE CAPITAL CITY

Abstract

Community home based care in Botswana was established at the height of the HIV and AIDS crisis when the hospitals were not able to absorb all patients. However, with the passage of time, community home based care needs to re-focus so it addresses emerging needs. The case studies presented in this paper were compiled from undergraduate nursing students’ placement in and around the main city in Botswana. The attachment helped the students to learn the role of a nurse in the promotion of health, prevention of illnesses, and in the continuity of care for discharged patients. The case studies provide exemplars for the epidemiologic and demographic transitions in community-home-based care and sensitize health care providers, policy makers and researchers on how the needs of clients have evolved overtime and the implications of such evolution for policy, program, research, and curriculum.