Testimonials

2020 - 2024

Katharina is one of a kind, a rare find. Her skill, dedication, uncompromising attention to her patients and her holistic approach make a deeply meaningful difference to the life of the person in her care and also their family.

Katharina combines knowledge, experience and intuition with an unwavering loyalty, deep empathy and fierce advocacy for the well-being of her patients.

Her positive ‘Can Do’ approach often leads to surprising accomplishments of her patients, and she empowers people in her care to live their best possible lives. Her cheerful presence brings joy and her courage to imagine the unimaginable can be a beacon of hope.

Katharina is a real asset to a care team where she can devise an individualised care plan and / or support all aspects of care.

She is a good communicator, and she will be able to impart her knowledge also to other team members.

I have had the privilege to experience Katharina as a carer for two of my beloved family members and I can describe her involvement with them only as a blessing.

Dr Birgit Schlegel
Paediatrician (Subspecialist in Paediatric Neurology) / Practice no: 032 001 3205150

As a palliative care nurse working with patients and families in their homes in Cape Town, I had the privilege of witnessing Katharina working with a patient with SNP, a debilitating progressive neuro-degenerative disorder. The patient could not talk or barely walk but she inspired him to persevere in daily activities and engage actively in fun events and outings. With her calm, warm encouraging care, she demonstrated, using gentle routines and exercises how one can improve quality of life of patients, even as their condition progressed. She provided guidance and support and instilled confidence in the caregivers, and some much-needed respite for family members.

I learnt a lot from her. She is an outstandingly skilled therapist, an essential team member for patients needing holistic rehabilitative
and / palliative care.

Sr Margot van der Wielen, Chariot Health

2014 - 2016

It gives me pleasure to give a reference for Mrs Katharina Govender.

Mrs Govender was employed by my husband and me in the position of Educational Facilitator and Tutor to Student (name removed for confidentiality). The period of employment was from January 2014 to October 2016. Her duties included accompanying the Student with Down syndrome to her classes at high school and to facilitate her leaning through tutoring and by engaging with the teaching staff to help her in the classroom when this was necessary.

Mrs Govender had no previous experience of the demands of this work; she had to learn very quickly on the job. We also assisted Mrs Govender by subsidising her Facilitator training before she started employment. Mrs Govender was able to cope well and she was able to help the Student to the best of her ability.

We will always be thankful to Mrs Govender for helping the Student through a difficult part of her school career and for her guidance to the Student during this period. We wish her well in her future employment.

Mrs Val Hoy

2013 - 2015

I have known Ms Katharina Govender for almost 10 years both socially and professionally. I have always been impressed by her thoughtful personality, thoroughness, attention to detail, and good nature.

Katharina is a multi-skilled individual although we know her mainly in her capacity as a professional geriatric home carer. She was well qualified and experienced to undertake this role.

Katharina provided home care for Patient (name removed for confidentiality), for more than two years in the period 2013 to 2015 until my mother finally passed away and she was the last person to be the Patient before she died. Her role was to provide a variety of services to the Patient, including being a friend and companion, health care, mental stimulation and the like. Katharina also advised our family on any special needs the Patient needed and anything she was concerned about her general care. We were very re-assured to have her assist us in that capacity.

Although Katharina was retained by our family to undertake a fixed number of hours a week assisting the Patient, she always exceeded the required hours due to her deep concern for the well-being of the Patient.

We could always rely on her to do her best for the Patient including in periods when we were out of town and she was required to visit more regularly and at odd hours of the day. Importantly she was able to make the Patient happy through mental stimulation, conversation and the sharing of memories.

On a personal level we came to know Katharina and her husband, Karlind, some years before and I know how supportive she was and has been to Karlind with his various entrepreneurial endeavours.

She could undertake a multitude of tasks to assist and in a very organised manner. Whenever we have interacted socially, Katharina has been welcoming and warm in her manner. Importantly she has an enquiring mind and is always wanting to learn and understand issues better. She is not reticent about asking questions to ensure that she knows what is required of her.

As much as Katharina was excellent in her assistance to the elderly she is equally at ease in working with children from an early childhood level through to their teens. Again it is her manner and open personality that makes this possible.

Katharina displays strong commitment and dedication to her work. She is extremely reliable and dependable and works in an amenable style. She is both caring and conscientious in her work.

I highly recommend Katharina for employment in any of her areas of expertise. Please feel free to contact me should any further information be required.

Mr Allan Taylor

2010 - 2012

Mrs Govender was employed by me as a part-time companion for my Patient (name removed for confidentiality) for a period of two years. Mrs Govender trained as an Old Age Carer in Germany and provided me with excellent references.

During the time of our employment, Mrs Govender acquitted herself excellently of all the tasks expected of her. Her employment sadly came to an end when the elderly Patient aged 83 passed away on 25 September 2012.

For most of the time in our employ Mrs Govender spent time with the Patient as a companion once a week for the full afternoon. Although full-time caring responsibilities were not part of our agreement she nevertheless did take care of personal grooming, nail and hair care during that time. Most importantly though, she lightened up the Patient’s days with her caring and friendly personality. The Patient so looked forward to her afternoons with Mrs Govender, without a doubt they were a highlight of her last years.

The Patient lived with us at a confidential resident and I had additional care personnel taking care of her 24 hours a day. When the Patient went away on holiday, Mrs Govender kindly helped out in proving more company for the Patient during that time, which was most enjoyed and appreciated by the Patient.

Mrs Govender would stimulate the Patient’s mental ability by reading, writing, storytelling and encouraging the Patient to talk to her. She maintained physical fitness and joint mobility by encouraging the Patient to take walks with her, at times she would also look at potential bedsore sites and recommend topical treatment.

At all times she remained polite, friendly, extremely caring and she displayed a natural ability to engage meaningfully and warmly with older people .

She enjoyed our full trust, she was always reliable and we never had any reason for any form of dissatisfaction.

Mrs Govender can be highly recommended as a most caring person, always professional and displaying absolute integrity.

Dr Birgit Schlegel
Paediatrician (Subspecialist in Paediatric Neurology) / Practice no: 032 001 3205150

2003 - 2004

Ms. Katharina Kollar (now Govender), was employed as a nursing assistant in the nursing home Carl Ninck House of our institution from 15/06/2003 to 31/07/2004. From 01/08/2004 until 04/10/2004 she was employed as trainee in our geriatric care.

The Anscharhöhe Foundation in Tarpenbekstraße 107, 20251 Hamburg is a diaconal institution that runs two in-patient nursing homes with a total of 260 beds, besides other institutions.

Ms. Kollar was appointed for the living quarters in the Carl Ninck House, where occupants of all nursing levels are nursed and cared for.

The responsibilities of a nursing assistant in this field include:

• performing basic nursing work, especially with regard to personal hygiene

• making the beds of the occupants up and assistance with putting them to bed

• supporting the occupants with their mobilisation

• supporting the qualified employees with the performance of nursing tasks

• distributing meals to the occupants and assisting them with eating

• assisting the occupants to foster social contacts

• documenting the work that was performed independently

After having been introduced to the work, Ms. Kollar was able to perform the tasks assigned to her independently and to apply her knowledge meaningfully. She was cautious with the aids, appliances and property of others.

She worked reliably, conscientiously and with good results in the field of work assigned to her. In her contact with the occupants she was devoted and committed and she was popular among the occupants.

In her team Ms. Kollar was popular and appreciated as a reliable and helpful colleague. Her behaviour towards her superiors was correct and sincere. She was able to work under stress and could work quickly. She assumed responsibility in her field of work, without overestimating her own competence.

Ms. Kollar performed all the tasks assigned to her to our utmost satisfaction. The employment relationship was terminated by mutual agreement at the request of the employee. We thank Ms. Kollar for the work she did and wish her all the best for the future and success in her career.

Dated at Hamburg on 11/07/2005

ANSCHARHÖHE FOUNDATION

G. Poppinga, Management Board
H. Ehlers, Housemaster

2000 - 2003

Ms Katharina Kollar (now Govender) was employed by Patient (name removed for confidentiality), in Hamburg in a flexible part-time employment relationship with an average of 21 hours per week from 1st October 2000 to 28th February 2003.

The appointment was effected by the undersigned who was appointed by the Guardians’ Court as the Patient’s guardian.

The Patient was an elderly lady who demanded a high standard and lifestyle, and who needed full-time medical and psychosocial care.

Ms. Kollar was a co-worker in a private nursing team consisting of 6 persons. Her primary task was the mobilisation of the patient by means of physical therapy, besides ensuring the medical care and other private nursing of the Patient as well as social company for her.

• Within the scope of this work she was responsible for the following in particular:

• medical full-time care and treatment in collaboration with the attending medical doctor

• mobilisation and comprehensive physical exercises

• psychosocial care, trips, walks

• organisation and care of the household

• establishing surroundings that meet the requirements of nursing in the relevant domiciles

• in collaboration with the remaining team

• organisation of holidays with the Patient and carers

• preparing nursing documentation

• acquainting new co-workers with the work

Ms. Kollar had a high measure of professional competence, commitment, conscientiousness and willingness to work and I had complete confidence in her within a very short time. Her work was distinguished by a high level of care, reliability and circumspection and was always done to my full satisfaction.

Her conduct was helpful, cooperative, friendly and exemplary at all times, and her contact with the co-workers and colleagues was always constructive and impeccable.

Upon the demise of the Patient any further employment became unnecessary.

I wish her the best and success for her further career and personal life.

Patient Guardian
Peter Rindsfus, Lawyer

1997 - 2004

During the period from March 1997 to March 2004, Ms. Katharina Kollar (now Govender), worked as a carer and attendant for my husband, Patient (name removed for confidentiality) who was seriously ill for 10 years and was in need of care for many years.

The seriously ill patient who had been the former Head of the Hygiene Institution Bielefeld for many years had always demanded a high standard and excellent manners from his fellow humans and Ms. Kollar proved to measure up to these requirements easily.

Until my husband passed away on 27/3/2004, she cared for him very lovingly, extremely considerately and with a high level of professional competence in the psychosocial field several times per week. She also attended to him medically as far as possible in coordination with the attending medical doctor.

Her strong personal commitment, her constant enthusiasm and her large measure of reliability resulted in a close relationship. She made my husband’s hard lot easier, especially by means of attending to his personal hygiene, taking him for long walks (to achieve better mobility) and by having lengthy conversations with him.

I am very grateful to Ms. Kollar for her loving helpfulness over many years. Without her support and her encouraging and warm nature it would have been far worse for me to survive those difficult years.

I wish Ms. Kollar (now Govender) all the best for her future.

Karin Handloser

Sworn Translation | German to English

I, the undersigned, ASTRID HAMBROCK (born GERNTHOLTZ) a Sworn Translator duly admitted by the High Court of South Africa (North Gauteng Division) on 3rd February 1987, case no. 1188/87 and residing at 20 Hofmeyr Street, GARDENS, CAPE TOWN

Postal address: 20 Hofmeyr Street, GARDENS, CAPE TOWN 8001, SOUTH AFRICA

do hereby certify and attest unto all whom it may concern, that the enclosed documents (which I have initialed) are to the best of my knowledge and belief, true and correct translations of the enclosed copies, marked "A" - "D" , from German to English.

CERTIFIED AT CAPE TOWN ON THIS 14th DAY OF APRIL 2010

______________________________________

ASTRID HAMBROCK (born GERNTHOLTZ)
Sworn Translator

Tel. +27 21 423 7400
Cell: +27 72 808 22 31
e-mail: astridhambrock@telkomsa.net