Ukulondoloza Isidima Somguli
KWIINTSUKU ezimbini ngaphambi kokuba uSally ase umyeni wakhe kugqirha wemithambo-luvo, kwanyulwa umongameli omtsha eMzantsi Afrika. Xa ugqirha wemithambo-luvo wabuza uAlfie ngemiphumo yonyulo, wakhupha amehlo waza akakwazi ukuphendula. Ngoko, emva kokuhlola ubuchopho, ugqirha wemithambo-luvo wathetha amazwi ahlabayo esithi: “Le ndoda ayikwazi nokudibanisa isibini nesibini. Imkelwe ziingqondo!” Wacebisa uSally esithi: “Kufanele ulungise imicimbi yakho yemali. Le ndoda isenokukujikela ize ibe nogonyamelo.”
USally wathi: “Unotshe! Akacingi umyeni wam!” USally wayenyanisile ngokungavumelani noku; kuba uAlfie akazange abe nogonyamelo, nangona abanye abanesifo sika-Alzheimer (AD) besiba ndlongondlongo. (Ngokufuthi oku kubangelwa lunxunguphalo, nto leyo enokuncitshiswa ngendlela umntu oneAD aphathwa ngayo.) Nangona esi sazi ngemithambo-luvo sasichanile ngendlela esayixilonga ngayo ingxaki ka-Alfie, kubonakala ukuba asizange siyibone imfuneko yokulondoloza isidima somguli. Kunoko, ngobubele ngewayemcacisele uSally ngemeko ka-Alfie ngasese.
Incwadi ethi When I Grow Too Old to Dream ithi: “Eyona nto ibalulekileyo kumntu onedementia kukukwazi ukulondoloza isidima, intlonipho kwanokuzithemba.” Indlela ebalulekileyo yokulondoloza isidima somguli icaciswe kuxwebhu lwamacebiso iCommunication, olupapashwe yiAlzheimer’s Disease Society of London: “Ungaze uthethe [ngabaguli beAD] phambi kwabanye abantu ngokungathi bona abekho. Kwanokuba abaqondi, basenokucingela ukuba abaqukwanga ngandlel’ ithile yaye basenokuziva bethotywe isidima.”
Enyanisweni abanye abaguli beAD bayakuqonda oko abanye bakuthethayo ngabo. Ngokomzekelo, umguli waseOstreliya waya nomfazi wakhe kwintlanganiso yombutho wabantu abanesifo sika-Alzheimer. Kamva wagqabaza wenjenje: “Bebefundisa abantu abanyamekela abaguli ngento abafanele bayenze nendlela abafanele bayenze ngayo. Ndandothukile ngenxa yokuba ndandilapho yaye akukho namnye owathetha ngomguli. . . . Oku kuyanxunguphalisa gqitha. Ngenxa yokuba ndinesifo sika-Alzheimer, oko ndikuthethayo akunamsebenzi: akukho mntu oza kuphulaphula.”
Yiba Ngokhuthazayo
Zininzi iindlela ezilukhuthazo ukunceda ukulondoloza isidima somguli. Basenokufuna uncedo lokuqhubeka nemisebenzi yemihla ngemihla ababeyifumanisa ilula. Ngokomzekelo, ukuba ibingabantu abathanda ukubhala ngaphambili, ngoko mhlawumbi usenokuhlala nabo phantsi uze ubancede baphendule iincwadi ezivela kubahlobo abanenyameko. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Alzheimer’s—Caring for Your Loved One, Caring for Yourself, uSharon Fish unikela ezinye iindlela ezisebenzayo zokunceda abantu abaneAD: “Khangela izinto ezilula eninokuzenza kunye ezinenjongo neziyimfuneko: ukuhlamba nokosula izitya, ukutshayela, ukusonga impahla, ukupheka isidlo sangokuhlwa.” Kwakhona uyacacisa: “Umntu onesifo sika-Alzheimer usenokungakwazi ukucoca indlu yonke okanye apheke konke ukutya, kodwa ngokuqhelekileyo amandla okwenza ezi zinto akapheli nje ngexesha elinye. Usenokutsalela ingqalelo koko asakwaziyo ukukwenza uze umncede aqhubeke ekwenza oko kangangoko kunokwenzeka. Xa usenza oko, kwakhona unceda ukumgcina loo mntu umthandayo ezixabisile.”
Eminye yemisebenzi eyenziwa ngumntu oneAD kusenokwenzeka ingenziwa kakuhle, ngoko kusenokufuneka utshayele kwakhona okanye uzihlambe kwakhona izitya. Noko ke, ngokumvumela lowo ugulayo ukuba aqhubeke eziva esebenziseka, uya kumenza aneliseke bubomi. Mncome nokuba umsebenzi wakhe awukho mgangathweni. Khumbula, wenze okusemandleni akhe. Abantu abaneAD bafuna ukuhlala beqinisekiswa yaye benconywa—yaye ngakumbi njengokuba besiya bengakwazi ukuyenza imisebenzi eyahlukahlukeneyo. UKathy, onomyeni oneAD oneminyaka engama-84 ubudala uthi: “Nanini na—singenakutsho ukuba kunini, basenokweyiswa ziimvakalelo zokuziva bengento yanto. Lowo unyamekela umguli ufanele amkhuthaze ngokumqinisekisa ngokufudumeleyo umguli ukuba ‘wenza zonke izinto kakuhle.’” Incwadi ethi Failure-Free Activities for the Alzheimer’s Patient ivuma isithi: “Sonke siyafuna ukuva ukuba senza umsebenzi omhle, yaye kubantu abane-dementia, bakufuna ngakumbi oku.”
Indlela Yokusingatha Ukuziphatha Okubangela Iintloni
Abo banyamekela abo bagulayo bafanele bafunde indlela yokusingatha ukuziphatha okubangela iintloni kwabo babathandayo. Eyona nto yoyikekayo kukuba umguli usenokungakwazi ukuzibamba phambi kwabantu. UGqr. Gerry Bennett kwincwadi yakhe ethi Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Confusional States, ucacisa esithi: “Ezi zinto azenzeki ngokufuthi yaye ngokuqhelekileyo zisenokuthintelwa okanye zincitshiswe. Xa kulapha kufuneka ukulungelelana, kuba ayisiso isenzo okanye abantu ababukeleyo ekunokukhathazekwa ngabo kodwa kukulahlekelwa kwaloo mntu sisidima sakhe.”
Ukuba kwenzeka into ebangela iintloni kangako, musa ukumngxolisa umguli. Kunoko, zama ukulandela eli cebiso: “Hlala uzolile ngokwenene uze ukhumbule ukuba lo mntu akakwenzi oku ngabom. Ngapha koko, kunokwenzeka ukuba nivisisane ukuba unobuntu yaye uzinzile kunokuba ucaphuke uze uphelelwe ngumonde. Yenza konke okusemandleni akho ukuze ungayivumeli le ngxaki yonakalise ulwalamano lwakho.”—Uxwebhu lwamacebiso oluthi Incontinence, leAlzheimer’s Disease Society of London.
Ngaba Ngokwenene Bafuna Ukulungiswa?
Ngokufuthi abantu abaneAD bathetha izinto ezingeyonyaniso. Ngokomzekelo, basenokuthi balindele ukutyelelwa sisalamane esafa kudala. Okanye basenokuba nemibono, bebona izinto kuphela abacinga ngazo. Ngaba kusoloko kuyimfuneko ukumlungisa umntu oneAD ngokuthetha into engachananga?
URobert T. Woods ucacisa esithi kwincwadi yakhe ethi Alzheimer’s Disease—Coping With a Living Death: “Kukho abazali abasoloko bebalungisa abantwana babo nanini na belibiza kakubi igama elithile okanye beyisebenzisa kakubi imigaqo-ntetho. . . . Ngokufuthi umphumo kukuba umntwana uyaqumba okanye athule xa efumanisa ukuba imigudu yakhe yokuthetha iyagxijwa, anganconywa. Kusenokwenzeka okufanayo kumntu oneAD osoloko elungiswa.” Okubangela umdla kukuba, iBhayibhile inikela icebiso ngokuphathelele ukuphathwa kwabantwana: “Nina boyise, musani ukubacaphukisa abantwana benu, khon’ ukuze bangadakumbi.” (Kolose 3:21) Ukuba abantwana bayacatshukiswa ngokusoloko belungiswa, kukangakanani ke kumntu omdala! “Khumbula ukuba umguli ngumntu omdala owayengaxhomekekanga mntwini nobezenzela izinto ezininzi,” ilumkisa isitsho iARDA Newsletter yaseMzantsi Afrika. Ukusoloko lilungiswa akunakulucaphukisa nje ixhoba leAD kodwa kwakhona kubangela ukuba lidandatheke okanye libe ndlongondlongo.
Kusenokufundwa isifundo kuYesu Kristu esinokunceda abo basingatha iintsilelo zabo baneAD. Wayengazilungisi zonke iimbono eziphosakeleyo zabafundi bakhe. Enyanisweni, ngamanye amaxesha wayengabaxeleli yonke into kuba babengekakulungeli ukuyiqonda. (Yohane 16:12, 13) Ukuba uYesu wabonisa ulwazelelelo ngeentsilelo zabantu abasempilweni, hayi indlela esifanele sikulungele ngayo ukuzilungelelanisa neembono ezingaqhelekanga, sekunjalo ezingeyongozi zomntu omdala ogula kakhulu! Ukuzama ukwenza umntu ogulayo abone ubunyani bemeko ethile kusenokuba kukulindela—okanye ukufuna—okungaphezu kwamandla akhe. Kunokuba uphikisane naye, kutheni ungathuli okanye ngobuchule utshintshe incoko?—Filipi 4:5.
Ngamanye amaxesha, eyona nto ebonakalisa uthando kukwenza ngathi loo nto ibonwa ngogulayo nawe uyayibona kunokuzama ukumeyisela ukuba oko akuyonyaniso. Ngokomzekelo, umntu oneAD usenokoyikiswa lirhamncwa okanye umntu oze kuqhekeza ozimeleyo “ambonayo.” Eli asiloxesha lokuzama ukuqiqa naye. Khumbula ukuba oko “akubonayo” engqondweni yakhe kuyinene kuye, yaye kufanele kupheliswe uloyiko lokwenene analo. Kusenokufuneka ukhangele emva kwekhethini uze uthi, “Ukuba uphinde ‘wambona,’ undixelele ukuze ndikuncede.” Ngokwenza ngokwembono yomguli, uGqirha Oliver noBock kwincwadi yabo ethi Coping With Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Emotional Survival Guide bathi, umenza “azive eyoyisile imibono eyoyikisayo esengqondweni yakhe. . . . Uyazi ukuba unokuthembela kuwe.”
“Sonke Siyakhubeka Izihlandlo Ezininzi”
Ukusebenzisa onke la macebiso akhankanywe ngaphambilana kusenokuba nzima, ingakumbi kwabo banomsebenzi onzima kwanezinye iimbopheleleko zentsapho ezifanele zinyanyekelwe. Ngamanye amaxesha lowo unyamekela umguli usenokungakwazi ukuzibamba aze angamphathi ngesidima umntu ogula yiAD. Xa oku kusenzeka, kubalulekile ukuba ungazisoli ngokubaxiweyo. Khumbula ukuba, ngenxa yemeko yesigulo, umntu ogulayo kunokwenzeka ukuba uya kusilibala isiganeko ngokukhawuleza.
Kwakhona, umbhali weBhayibhile uYakobi uthi: “Sonke siyakhubeka izihlandlo ezininzi. Ukuba nabani na akakhubeki zwini, lo uyindoda egqibeleleyo.” (Yakobi 3:2) Ekubeni kungekho namnye umntu ofezekileyo onyamekela umntu ogulayo, kunokulindelwa iimpazamo kumsebenzi onzima wokunyamekela umguli oneAD. Kwinqaku elilandelayo, siza kuqwalasela ezinye izinto eziye zanceda abo banyamekela abagulayo ukuba bahlangabezane—yaye bakunandiphe—nokunyamekela umguli oneAD.
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 17]
Abaguli baba nempumelelo xa besoloko beqinisekiswa yaye benconywa
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 17]
‘Umguli usenokukuqonda oko kuthethwayo. Ngoko ungaze uthethe ngemeko yakhe okanye uthethe kakubi ngoxa uhleli ecaleni kwakhe egula’
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 15]
Ukunceda abaguli abanesifo sika-Alzheimer ngemisebenzi yemihla ngemihla kunceda ukulondoloza isidima sabo