Formats for storytelling by caregivers for sharing knowledge in home-based health care

Abstract

Home-Based Health Care (HBHC) is the provision of health services and social assistance to individuals in their homes. It is an indispensable service to communities in need; presently in South Africa, these health care services are provided by local non-profit and non-governmental organizations. It is mainly targeted at poverty-stricken and under resourced communities and is an important aspect of healthcare in South Africa. A lot of communities in South Africa are still under-resourced and live in impoverished conditions. This is reflected in poor living standards characterized by unemployment, uneasy access to basic amenities, unequal distribution of wealth, poor medical facilities in rural communities, etc. The prevalence of the HIV/AIDS endemic has also worsened the situation. However, the South African government has constantly supported initiatives to enhance better healthcare in rural communities. This research presents a case study of caregivers working in Du Noon, an informal settlement in Western Cape, South Africa. Du Noon is overpopulated and home to lots of foreigners who have migrated in search of better living standards thus stretching an already over-burdened community. Naturally, this development supports poor health practices which encourage the spread of diseases within the community. Health facilities do not sufficiently cater for the ever-increasing healthcare demands and as such lots of people depend on NGOs such as SALT (Sharing Abundant Life Together) who through the help of caregivers and community workers have been providing for some of the healthcare needs of the Du Noon community since 2000. Findings reveal that although caregivers in this community have lots of stories to share about their work practices, they do not have a platform to share these stories. This research focuses on identifying processes involved in capturing these stories and moderating them into educative and entertaining visual contents for the purpose of sharing the stories within the community. Using qualitative research methods, empirical and field study provides the needed data as well as understanding of the multi-dynamism of this community. Data analysis is done through interpretive methods for the purpose of understanding the data collected and analysed during the research process. Finally, as a possible research contribution, the research concludes by examining how other technology can enhance the storytelling experience using interaction design methods that enables caregivers participate in the entire design process. Suggestions are also given as to direction for further research within the subject area.