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on Wendy Bird in Cameroon (Cameroon), 03/Aug/2009 22:40, 34 days ago
Our last contact with health care, albeit informal was with CODEF ( Community Development and Epilepsy Foundation), which is a member or partner of NWADO, North West Association of Development Organizations. CODEF is a small community based organization that works with people with epilepsy. The organization seeks to advocate and lobby on behalf of people with epilepsy, do home visits to counsel them re treatment, only Phenobarbitone 100 mg daily prescribed with minimal if any follow up, noting that traditional medicine is purchased so guidance given regarding possibility of effects of traditional medicine mixing with English medicine. Kenneth also asks and encourages children to go to school and go to church so that they do not become isolated. He has also established a lay volunteers group who visit the people on his case load. There seems to be a high number, 200 in a small village and again a considerable number in another. I wondered and asked to what degree this was related to birth difficulties, lack of antenatal (prenatal) care. K added also it may be linked to the tradition of bandaging to apply pressure to shape the baby’s head after birth. One of the main problems encountered is the person with epilepsy sustaining burns as cooking takes place on open fires hence increasing the risk of seizure occurring when near the fire. There are a lot of myths surrounding epilepsy and they are a marginalized group within their own community.Home visiting meant trecking along roads between the houses along paths though the‘ bush’ I really enjoyed home visits as it reminded me of how I like nursing in people’s homes. The relationship is different to working in acute hospitals. The focus of the visits was to support the families as well as the person with epilepsy. Looking at Kenneth’s statistics at a later date I noted how many were teenagers, young adults with only very few were 30 – 42 years old age range. The first family the children were home but the family were working on the farm. Likewise the second family but the grandmother was around. Kenneth was excellent in ensuring by listening and takingit at a slow pace that the young girl spoke for herself. He elicited through discussion with the older woman that traditional medicine, herbs, was also being used as well as the phenobarbitone. I was struck by how tactfully but clearly he addressed this when we met the father on the road as he whowas coming back to the house for the meeting. Payment is required for ‘ English medicine’ as well as traditional medicine but Kenneth raised the possibility that the medicines might clash therefore to keep this in mind.Another visit was to a young woman who had sustained severe burns and scarring over a period of time, the worst noted by Bill in his blog. They had healed the wounds using boiled water with some salt to clean the burns. Pastor Gorge said a prayer for the young woman and her family before we left. Within their compound they had a traditional built house which they let me photograph.Our last visit before the meeting with some families and volunteers was to see a young mother who had baby twins. Kenneth was concerned as previously he had noticed that they were not being fed well. Unfortunately they were not at home.We then went to the meeting, held in a house in Bafut, the room donated to CODEF by the Fon and met thedeputy mayor, a woman who supported CODDEF work, carers and peole with epilepsy and some volunteers. After the meeting we were waiting for the taxi when Kenneth saw the young woman with twins across the road at another house, but she had only one small child, the other had died.CODEF has limited capacity and resources but works with local volunteers and hopes to extend their work in another village where the incidence of epilepsy is high.