Duration:

Transcript

DIKELEDI: Ndiyibona ibalulekile into yokuba umntu eze emntwaneni wakhe azokuthi nokuze aphile i-support asifumane emzalini wakhe. Abantwana abaninzi apha banabazali kodwa baya suffer(isha) so I prefer umntu abekhona emntwaneni wakhe. Ukubaluleka kokuba kho komzali esibhedlele like ii-cases ezininzi umzekelo idrip xa iphuma igazi like ungumzali wakhe uye uyibone then ukwazi ukubiza u-nurse. Umzekelo iye yaphuma igazi ndabiza u-nurse ukuba makaze azokuyibona idrip yomntwana iphume igazi so umzali uya need(eka) kwisupport ezininzi emntwaneni like xa ekhala kufuneka umthuthuzele.Ewe ama nurse ayasinika i-support but ayadikwa because umntwana womntu ayingowakhe. Nawe mzali indima yakho iya need(eka).

Translation: It is important that parents visit their sick children so that the child can feel better. Lots of children in the hospital have parents but they suffer because they don’€™t visit them so I would prefer parents to be present for their children. In my child’€™s case his drip was full of blood and I was there to see that something was not right and I called a nurse. A parent should be available for his child to support him in many ways for instance when he cries as a parent you have to cuddle him. Yes, nurses do offer support but they get bored because the child is not their child. As a parent you have to play role too.

THANDEKA: Abazali nabo bayafuna ukuqiniswa bomelezwe apho iimeko zingavumi khona ncam empilweni yabantwana babo ingakumbi xa kucaca ukuba imeko imandundu. Ingaba ke luncedo luni abalufumanayo?

Translation: Parents need support too during tough times when they have lost hope. Where do they get that support from?

DIKELEDI: Abanye abantu abafuni ukuthetha ngeengxaki zabo. Umntu uzixelele ukuba into yeyakhe kazoku share(a) nomnye umntu. Ukuba ke umntwana wakho uzakufa baye bakuxelele nje straight talk ukuba uzakufa umntwana wakho so uye uzomeleze ngokwakho ngokuthemba uThixo ukuba uzakumgcina umntwana wakho. Ugqirha yena ukuba kuzakwenzeka into emntwaneni wakho uyakuxelela nje straight.

Translation: Some other people are reserved and reluctant to speak about their problems. A person tells herself that there is no need to share her problems with the next person.

THANDEKA: Ukomelela nikufumana phi?

Translation: Where do you gather your strength?

DIKELEDI: Sometimes sikufumana kwii social workers so ibazizo ezithi zikomeleze into yokuba   qina umntwana wakho uzakuphila so isupport sisifumana kwi social workers. Uyayinikwa isocial worker xa umntwana engaphilanga uye kuyo kengoku uthethe nayo ibe yiyo eku support(ayo).   Ikhona counseling.

Translation: Sometimes we get support from social workers. They are the people who give us strength and who encourage us to stay strong. We are allocated social workers because of our sick children. We talk with them for support and conseling.

THANDEKA: Kwi family uyasifumana i-support?

Translation: Do you have family support?

DIKELEDI: Ndisifumana kwii sisters zam kumamam andisifumani. Sometimes xa ndiye ndayicinga kakhulu iye indiwise amandla kodwa ndizixelele ukuba mandi focus(e) kule ndawo ndikuyo ndingayihoyi ke yona.

Translation: My sisters give us support but my mother doesn’€™t.

THANDEKA: USister Maxine Mentoor oneminyaka engama ‘€“ 26 osebenza kwi Ward B1 icala elijongene nabantwana abagula kakhulu nabanezifo ezifana ne nyumoniya, ugawulayo nezifo zesisu. Uthi kunzima kakhulu ukusebenza ngabantwana abagula kakhulu kuba ngelinye ixesha kubhulwa kusombeswa kuzanyanwa nokusindisa ubomi bomntwana lowo neyinto eba buhlungu kubongikazi xa umntwana athi alishiye eli ezo nzame sele zenziwe.

Translation: 26-year old Sister Maxine Mentoor works in Ward B1 at Red Cross Children’€™s Hospital – a ward for terminally ill children where they see patients with pneumonia, gastro and HIV/AIDS. She says it is difficult to work with terminally ill patients. She says it is sad because they see severe cases and sometimes they have to resuscitate their patients and then have to face death in the eye and this is painful for nurses.

SISTER MENTOOR: We just give the terminal children TLC (tender love and care), we are used to the idea because the mom is also aware that the patient is dying so it makes it a little bit easier so we also build a sort of a relationship with that mom. When the child dies it’€™s very sad but yet we have the comfort of knowing the parent and we can be there with the parent and she feels comfortable with us in that sense it is a more two-way relationship. But if a child comes in acutely ill especially with a resuscitation case, a child comes in and we have to resuscitate and despite all efforts of resuscitation a child dies that can be very traumatic. I mean I have experienced it, it happens often. Even here in B1 suddenly the child just stops breathing we resuscitate and despite all efforts he dies. Sometimes you didn’€™t get a chance to get to know the parents so you find that a bit difficult and awkward. It is very overwhelming. You don’€™t know how to address the issue to the parents but normally the social workers are around and we have a chaplain of the hospital so they would assist us mainly with a case like this. If doctors say despite our efforts there’€™s nothing we can do we then get the chaplain in.

Translation: Siyazama ukunakekela impilo sinike nothando kodwa sesiqhelene nombono wokuba umama ongumzali sele esazi ukuba umntwana wakhe uzakufa lonto yenza izinto zibe lula siye sizame ukuba sihlobane nalomzali. Xa umntwana esutywa kukufa kuba kubi kodwa ke siye sixoliswe kuba besesiqhelene nomzali uye azve ethuthuzelekile xa enathi neyinto eza macala. Kodwa umntwana xa esiza enkenenkene nalapho kufuneka azanywe ukuphefumliswa iba yingxaki xa kucaca ukuba amatiletile enziwe kodwa asweleke. Ndiyazi kakuhle loonto kuba ndiqhelelne nayo. Nalsapha eB1 ngesikhuphukhwela umntwana uye aphelelwe kukuphefumla simzame kodwa angaphili ibe buhlungu xa besingekabamqheli kwa abazali lonto iye isifake ekoneni. Ibenzima. Uye ungazi nokuba uzakuqala ngaphi ukuchaza lentlungu kodwa ke oonontlalontle babakhona yaye sikwanaye noMthanjiswa othi abizwe xa kunzima baye basincedise kumaxesha engxakeko. Xa ugqirha esithi hayi ke sizamile konke esinako ukwenza kodwa sohluleka siye siye sibize uMthanjiswa.

THANDEKA: Ingaba ke uziva njani xa kufike ixesha lokuba kukho isigidimi esithi nanku umntwana ufuna ukuvuswa ngoomashini?

Translation: How does it feel when you are called in to resuscitate a patient?

SISTER MENTOOR: Initially you feel very nervous because you don’€™t know what to expect. As sisters we would take over and assist the doctor. It is like a good anxiety because your adrenalin starts pumping and prepares you for action. You actually work faster, quicker and you think on your feet and if it’€™s successful then that’€™s good, if not and a patient dies well you have done what you could. You’€™ve responded appropriately because the nervousness, the tension anxiety is part of it is how you control it. You shouldn’€™t let it get the better of you. Last year I had a problem of anxiety – it gets the better of you and you kind of freeze. You panic and you start screaming and some people they lash out at each other, it just makes everything even worse. It makes the resuscitation unpleasant. If the patient lives, well that feeling is good, but if the patient dies it’€™s not very nice because everybody is feeling, ‘€˜oh my word I’€™ve been screamed at maybe it’€™s my fault or I should have worked faster’€™.

Translation: Uziva uphazamisekile ngasengqondweni   yaye ungayazi ukuba kuzakwenzeka ntoni. Thina bongikazi abakhulu siye sithabathele umsebenzi kuthi sincedisane nogqirha. Uba nokuxhalaba bokulingisa kuba kaloku uphefumlela phezulu uzama ukulungisa ukhawulezile uququzela kuthi ukuba umsebenzi lowo uthe wayimpumelelo uncome kodwa ukuba sithe sasweleka isigulane uthi uzamile ukwenza unako nako. Kungako ke kubalulekile ukuba ungayekeleli ukuxhalaba bukongamele kuba kungenzekla impazo nam ndingomnye wabantu abakhe bazibona sele beqhelwa ngumothuko nokuxhalaba neyinto ebangela izinto zingahambi ngendlela ingakumbi xa kufuneka kuvuselelwe ubomi kulowo uphelelwa kukuphefumla kuba kuye kubekho ukungxolelana. Kuye kuthi ukuba isigulane siphilile noko sincome kodwaukuba siye salandulela eli kuye kubekho ukuzisola nemibuzo iba mininzi.

THANDEKA: Ummongikazi Mentoor uthi likhe lifike ixesha lokuzisola apha emsebenzini wabo nalapho bezibeka igxeke ngokungasindisi umphefumlo.

Translation: Sister Mentoor says sometimes nurses blame themselves when a patient dies.

SISTER MENTOOR: I think everybody throughout their nursing career feels when you go home maybe it’€™s me who did that mistake, even this morning I’€™m actually studying child nursing and I was looking for a patient for a case presentation. Then I saw the patient in the High Care so I started examining him and he started coughing and he wouldn’€™t stop. I got a bit nervous, the physiotherapist was there and he said he looks a little bit blue on the lips like he was oxygen deprived and we turned on the oxygen. We checked him out and the doctor came in and intervened and we had to suction him and settle him, stop the feeds and she phoned the ICU for a bed. I had to explain that I was examining the child and he started coughing but that is the nature of the disease. It is also a query whooping cough with kids like that if you touch them they start coughing non-stop.

Translation: Ndiyacinga ukuba kubomi bobubongikazi uthi xa usiya ekhaya ufike ucinge ukuba ungunobangela wokuba izinto zihambe budedengu. Nanamhlanje oku bendi fudna incwadi ngokunakekelwa komntwana kubongikazi ndiye ndvavanya umntwana kodwa suke wakhohlela umlibe nalalpho ndiye ndoyika kwabe kukho ugxa wamngumluli wamathambo wandibuza ukuba ndiyawubona umlomo womntwan ukuba uba luhlaza ngathi akanamoya wanelelyo wokuphefumla. Saye samjonga savulela umoya nogqirha wafika wasincedisa samzama umntwana wazameka nalapho wacelelwa umandlalo kwicala labagula kakhulu. Kwafuneka ndichaze ukuba bendimvavanye kodwa kwaqonakala ukuba ebenokhohlokhohlo oluyinkohlo noluthi xa luqalile umntwna angayeki akhohlele umlibe.

THANDEKA: Uthi oonontlalonke baye babancedise ukubanika uncedo lokuthomalalisa ubuhlungu beentliziyo i-counseling.

Translatation: She says social workers assist with counseling.

SISTER MENTOOR: Our social workers do have an active role with counseling. During teatime sometimes we would have discussions about events that have happened in the ward and I have found that that helped.

Translation: Oonontlalontle behtu banegalelo elikhulu ekuncedisweni ukuthomalalisa intliziyo ezophaya. Siye nathi sihlalutye okwenzekileyo kumagumbi onyango xa sihlabe ikhefu neyinto ethi incede kakhulu.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise