Mindshift - Epilepsy South Africa

Four weeks ago I started doing community service at a centre for people with epilepsy in conjunction with other mental or physical disabilities. It is run by an amazing organisation called Epilepsy South Africa. They are a truely caring organisation doing wonders for many people.

First a little about the centre:
The centre where I worked caters for 81 patients that stay on the premises permanently and if you include the patients that come in for a "daycare" programme, they care for at least 120 patients on a daily basis. The patients that stay on the premises (or the residents) get three healthy meals a day. Their medication is regulated so that they are very healthy. There is a team to cater to mental stimulation for patients without the mental capabilities to care for themselves. Each capable patient is given a chore to do: whether it is working in the kitchen, the washroom or the garden. These chores give tremendous sense of self-worth to the patients and they do their chores with pride.

One of the caretakers with Neelsie

Some of the patients that work in the Washing Room

Babsie who works in the Kitchens

My first day was heel, to be honest. I was ready for sick or frail people, but was completely unprepared for what followed. Rather healthy individuals, but with the mental abilities of five or six year olds. Being called uncle by a man twice your age was a major shock. I also tried, at first to confer in meaningful conversations with some of the patients, which proved nearly impossible, due to their lack of attention and their absolute forgetfulness. By the end of the day I was worn out and had barely done anything but babble meaningless to a few of them. I felt shattered.

Tannie Sophie, 81

The oldest resident, Tannie Kitty, 83

Fortunately I adjusted. By the middle of the week I had learned more about each patient and was able to discern how to treat them and also how they expected me to treat them. The biggest mind shift I had to make was to start referring to the patients as "The Children". It might sound demeaning to someone on the outside of this situation, but that is what they became, your children. And I learned to love these people. Or perhaps, they taught me how to love them?

The people that work here really need to be commended each of them is a fantastic person who does a lot for these people.

Alice a caretaker

Nellian, one of the workers and very close to most of the patients.

Elise is the woman in charge of the kitchen. The residents bake biscuits on a weekly basis.

Ms. Koeks, the resident nurse, caring for the patients.

Rikkie is the socialworker for the centre.

Tannith

 Each patient has a story:

Neelsie is a "Waterhead" or scientifically known as severe Hydrocephalus. He is in his early forties. His mother has taken care of him for all his life. He was not supposed to live past 18, but his mother was adamant that he would live. Now she herself is no longer capable of caring for herself and definitely can't care for him. He receives wonderful care and love. He calls me uncle and asked about my car and children.

Neelsie

Next is a patient called Pieter Malan. Pieter has Down's Syndrome. He was locked in the house, in a retirement facility, of his retired parents and not allowed outside. He talks to himself a lot and is very lovable. He laughed a lot when we showed him the photo of himself and couldn't believe that there was another version of him right there.

Pieter Malan

Now I'll tell you about Martin. Martin didn't speak. His parents abused him, since he had no way of asking for help. They also forced him to look after cars on the weekends and beat him if he had not come home with enough money. Martin was reluctant to be photographed, but reluctantly, and with a giggle, agreed to be photographed only if myself and my co-worker (student) Megan were photographed with him. He is the sweetest young man.

Martin and Megan

Another sweet young man is Wouter. I cannot with certainty say what is wrong with Wouter. I simply got to know him as the little man who also referred to me as uncle. His most obvious characteristic was his shyness, hiding behind a car whenever you looked his way, but smiling shyly when caught out. He wore his hat specifically to hide behind.

Wouter

Among all the other patients there are also four schizophrenics. Probably the strangest was Mariaan. She is from another planet and adamantly insists that she receives messages from this planet by radio. She also has an invisible husband Mac. Fortunately for me, once she heard I was planning on studying medecine she reassured me that Mac was willing to cover my tuition for medschool. Generous non-existent fellow isn't he?

Mariaan

Finally the two residents who have crept into my heart the deepest are Stella and Whitey. These two com from an orphanage and have no-one else but the people at the centre. They are happy and are given a family here.

Stella

Whitey

These people are amazing and have made such a difference in my life. I don't think I will ever forget them.

Peace