Alzheimer’s
is not well known in Kenya despite the greater majority of our
parents going down with it each day.
Our
grandmother has it, and it’s been quite a load.
I
wanted to gather recent information to share with my uncle and his
wife, who are her primary caretakers. And I came across ALZkenya.org.
They invited me for one of their support group meetings and what a
meeting it turned out to be.
Why
you should join a support group
Like
in other issues:
- Emotional release: It helps to talk about issues you are facing.
- Empathy: It is a relief to listen to others talk about similar experiences.
- Information Pool: You can access contact information for clinicians that deal with ALZ.
- Training: You can access training to enable you be a better caretaker.
You
will not find a textbook with the title: How to act when a family
member has Alzheimer’s in Kenya- for dummies.
And
many times you will be plagued with things that you may be doing
wrong. Which you will find, it is really not your fault.
We
are all dummies in this and lack of clear, open and accessible
information about Alzheimer’s in Kenya is the cause. Many are just
trying and erroing(sic), injuring themselves, the sick family member
and all around in the process.
No
one is to be blamed. Not serikali, not God, not yourself, not your
other family members who suddenly started to behave funny. Reason is,
ALZ is like a time bomb ticking faster than a clock, it is also the
most confusing disease yet to be discussed.
One
day things seem to be just fine, the next you can’t explain what
happened or what is to be done.
Is
it to get another doctor?
Or
call the family together?
Or
crawling under the bed to bowl like a five year old?
There
is a way to fix this and it is only by getting as much knowledge
about the disease as there is.
You
will know everything from how to talk to a patient to how not to
change the setting and plot (patient’s familiar surroundings.).
That will be the theme for the next article.
(all pictures googled)
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