What Is Hospice and Palliative Care? A Guide for Families in Zambia
If someone you love has received a serious diagnosis — HIV/AIDS, cancer, or another life-threatening illness — you may have heard the words “hospice” or “palliative care” for the first time. And you may not be sure what they mean.
You are not alone. Many families in Zambia ask these exact questions. This guide is for you.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a way of caring for the whole person — not just the illness.
When someone is living with a serious illness, treatment is important. But so is managing pain. So is emotional support. So is the spiritual comfort of knowing you are not alone, and that your life has dignity and meaning even in the hardest moments.
That is what palliative care focuses on: quality of life. Reducing suffering. Supporting the patient — and the family around them — through every stage of the illness.
You can receive palliative care at the same time as your regular treatment. It is not something you wait for. It can begin the moment a serious diagnosis is made.
“Palliative care is not about giving up on life. It is about living as fully as possible, for as long as possible.”
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is a specific form of palliative care for patients whose illness has reached a stage where curative treatment is no longer the focus. Instead, the priority shifts entirely to comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
At Our Lady’s Hospice and Health Centre in Kalingalinga, Lusaka, hospice care is not a place where people go to die. It is a place where people are accompanied with compassion, skill, and faith — for as long as they need us.
Many of our patients recover enough to return home. Others spend their final weeks or months in the care of our team. In every case, the goal is the same: that the patient feels seen, cared for, and at peace.
When Should a Family Consider Palliative or Hospice Care?
One of the most common regrets families share with us is this: “We wish we had called sooner.”
You do not need to wait for a crisis. Consider reaching out to Our Lady’s Hospice if:
- A loved one has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or another serious or life-threatening illness
- Pain is not being managed well by current treatment
- Your family member is struggling emotionally, spiritually, or socially with their illness
- You are a caregiver who feels overwhelmed and unsure how to help
- Your loved one has been discharged from hospital and still needs ongoing support at home
- You simply want to understand what options are available — before anything changes
A conversation with our team costs nothing. We will not pressure you. We will simply listen and help you understand what is available.
Common Myths About Hospice Care — And the Truth
There are many misunderstandings about hospice care, especially in Zambia where it is not yet widely known. Let us address the most common ones.
| THE MYTH | THE TRUTH |
| Hospice means you are giving up. | Hospice means you are choosing comfort, dignity and quality of life. Many patients who receive palliative care early actually live longer and better. |
| Only people who are dying need hospice care. | Palliative care can begin at any stage of a serious illness — even at the time of diagnosis. You do not need to be at end of life to benefit. |
| You have to be referred by a doctor. | At Our Lady’s Hospice, you can come directly. Any patient, any family, any time — no referral required. |
| Hospice is only for old people. | We care for adults and children of all ages. Our paediatric clinic serves over 300 children living with HIV/AIDS. |
| It is too expensive. | Our Lady’s Hospice provides care free of charge or at minimal cost. No patient is ever turned away due to inability to pay. |
| Hospice care means no more treatment. | Palliative care works alongside existing treatment. We manage pain, support the family, and coordinate with your other healthcare providers. |
What Our Lady’s Hospice Offers
Our Lady’s Hospice and Health Centre has served the Lusaka community since 2003. We are a faith-based organisation — founded and sustained by four Catholic religious congregations, under the patronage of the Archbishop of Lusaka.
We offer a full range of palliative and hospice care services, including:
- In-patient care in five dedicated wards — open 24 hours a day
- Antiretroviral (ART) treatment, free of charge, for HIV-positive patients
- Outpatient department with same-day HIV testing and results
- Paediatric care for children living with HIV/AIDS
- Counselling for patients, families and caregivers
- Physiotherapy and nutritional support
- Spiritual and pastoral care — open to all faiths
- Community outreach to patients in Kalingalinga, Mutendere, and Kalikiliki
- Caregiver training, so families can support loved ones safely at home
| Available 24 Hours. No Referral Needed.
We serve everyone. We turn no one away. Plot 8668, Kamloop’s Road, Kalingalinga, Lusaka +260 977 740 427 Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year |
Care That Honours Life
At Our Lady’s Hospice, our work is rooted in a deep belief in the dignity of every human life — from its beginning to its natural end.
We are Catholic in our founding and our values. But our doors are open to every patient, regardless of faith, background, or ability to pay. Muslim patients, Protestant families, those of no faith at all — all are received with the same quality of care and the same human warmth.
Our chaplaincy team provides spiritual support to those who wish to receive it — gently, at the patient’s own pace, in whatever form is meaningful to them.
We do not believe that illness reduces the value of a person’s life. We believe that how we accompany one another in suffering is one of the most profound expressions of our shared humanity.
“Care that honours life from its beginning to its natural end.”
Taking the First Step
If you are reading this, you are probably caring for someone you love, or facing a difficult diagnosis yourself. You are looking for answers. You may be frightened.
That is exactly why we are here.
Reaching out does not commit you to anything. It does not mean giving up. It simply means allowing a team of experienced, compassionate people to walk alongside you — and help you find a clearer path forward.
Call us any time: +260 977 740 427. We are here — day and night.
