In 1986 a nurse from Sedgefield and a doctor from Knysna started working together to help those who needed care at home. The nurse was Sue Brukman and the doctor was Joan Louwrens. There was no name, no office, no funding, no mission statement, simply two people working together to care for others. This was the start of the Knysna Sedgefield Hospice – people working together to care.
Peggy Grinaker donated a house in Hunters Home in 1990 after Hospice cared for her husband, Ola. This is still the Hospice Headquarters. It came to her one night that the initials of four of her family members who have died of cancer could make up the name of the Hospice House – B.O.N.D. HOUSE: Bella her grandmother, Ola her husband, Nell her mother, Doug her cousin.
In 1990, BOND a company not for gain, was registered in terms of Section 21 of the Companies Act. In the same year a Board of Directors was elected and a Day Care programme started at Bond House.
In July 2002 KSH received; Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) accreditation and became an official Integrated Community-based Home Care (ICHC)2 site.
In May 2006, the Council of Health Services Accreditation of SA (COHSASA) granted full accreditation status to KSH. Re-accreditation was achieved in August 2008 and November 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020 and more recently (May 2023 – May 2027) accreditation, with a Clinical Services rating of 100%. Accreditation is reviewed every four years. This allows us to keep our 5 star rating with APCC (Association of Palliative Care Centers of South Africa).
In 2010 it was recognized that no palliative care services were delivered in Wilderness and it was decided to extend our services from Sedgefield to Wilderness.
In 2011 Hospice celebrated 25 years of service to the community. The history of the first 25 years is documented in a book.
In 2025 and onwards, we continue to grow and maintain our high standard of care. Training health care workers and professionals in our area as one of our priorities, as we move forwards with an ever challenging South Africa. But one thing remains constant and that is our love, care and support for those who need our services.
In 2026 we look forward to celebrating our 40th year in palliative care!