He mea ngaro, he mea tapu hoki te mahara. I ētahi rā ka kaha te rere o ngā kōrero tawhito, ka rangona anō te reo o te kāinga, te kakara o te kai, te āhua o te huarahi ki te marae, ki te kura, ki te mahi. I ētahi atu rā, ka memeha ētahi wāhanga, ka rangirua te hinengaro, ka ngenge te whānau. Ko reira ka puta te pātai: me pēhea te manaaki i te tangata e pāngia ana e te mate wareware, me te pupuri tonu i tōna mana?
Kua kōrero a RNZ mō tētahi pokapū kaupapa Māori mō te hunga e noho ana me te mate wareware ki Waikato. Ehara tēnei i te kaupapa hauora anake. He kaupapa whānau, he kaupapa reo, he kaupapa aroha. Mēnā ka wareware te tangata ki ētahi kupu, ki ētahi rā, ki ētahi ingoa, kāore ia e ngaro hei tangata. Kei reira tonu tōna whakapapa, ōna wheako, tōna ngākau, me te hiahia kia āta whakaarohia ia.
Ko te manaaki, ehara i te whakahaere noa
I te ao o te mate wareware, he nui ngā mahi ā-tinana: te kai, te rongoā, te moe, te haumaru o te whare, te haere ki te rata. Engari he mahi wairua anō. Me kōrero māhaki. Me tuku wā. Me kaua e whakama i te tangata i mua i te whānau, i te manuhiri, i te hunga kē rānei. Mēnā ka kōrero anō ia i te kōrero kotahi, ka taea te whakarongo anō me te aroha. Mēnā ka pōkaikaha ia, kaua te reo e piki hei riri. He wā ka nui ake te pai o te noho puku, te kapu tī, te ringa ki runga i te tēpu, i ngā whakamārama roa.
He mahi iti ka āwhina
- Whakaritea he ritenga māmā.Ko te wā kai, te wā moe, te wā hīkoi, mēnā ka ū, ka āwhina i te hinengaro kia tau.
- Whakamahia ngā tohu māmā.He whakaahua, he taonga iti, he waiata, he kakara kai, ka taea te whakaoho i te mahara me te ngākau.
- Kaua e totohe mō ia hapa.I ētahi wā, ko te rangimārie te mea nui ake i te tika o te kōrero.
- Tautokohia hoki te kaitiaki.Ka ngenge te tangata manaaki. Me whai wā hoki ia ki te whakatā, ki te kōrero, ki te tono āwhina.
He reo mō te aroha
He uaua te kite i te panonitanga o te kaumātua, o te mātua, o te hoa rangatira. Ka puta te pōuri, te riri, te whakamā, te hēmanawa. E tika ana ēnei kare ā-roto. Engari ka taea tonu te kimi i te reo aroha: “Kei konei ahau.” “Ka haere tāua āta.” “Kāore koe i te mokemoke.” He kupu poto, engari he kaha.
I ētahi kāinga, ka ngaro haere te reo i te tangata, engari ka mau tonu te rongo ki te waiata, ki te karanga a te mokopuna, ki te pa o te ringa. Nō reira me kaua te manaaki e whakawhirinaki ki te kōrero anake. Ka taea te manaaki mā te noho tahi, mā te tunu kai e mōhiotia ana, mā te whakatangi waiata tawhito, mā te whakatuwhera i tētahi puka whakaahua. He ara katoa ēnei ki te ngākau.
Ki te pā te mate wareware ki tō whānau, me rapu mōhiohio, me kōrero ki te rata, ki ngā ratonga hauora, ki ngā rōpū tautoko. Kaua te whānau e kawe mokemoke i te taumaha. Ko te tino manaaki, he hanga i tētahi kupenga: he whānau, he hoa, he kaimahi hauora, he hapori, he wāhi haumaru.
Me maumahara hoki ki te hunga manaaki. Mēnā kei te tiaki koe i tētahi e arohaina ana, ehara tō ngenge i te tohu ngoikore. He tohu kē kua roa koe e kawe ana i tētahi kawenga nui. Rapua he tangata hei whakarongo, hei noho mō tētahi hāora, hei āwhina i ngā mahi iti. Ka ora ake te kaitiaki, ka kaha ake hoki te manaaki.
I te mutunga, kāore te mate wareware e muru i te mana o te tangata. Ka huri pea ngā āheinga, ka rerekē pea te rā, engari ka mau tonu te hiahia kia kitea, kia rangona, kia arohaina. Ko tā tātou mahi, he whakaiti i te haruru o te ao, kia rangona tonutia te tangata kei mua i a tātou.
Source note: This article was informed by RNZ reporting on a kaupapa Māori dementia centre in Waikato, Dementia New Zealand and Alzheimers New Zealand.
