23 Apr 2019

Caring for someone living with disability can be challenging physically and emotionally. For many people with disabilities and those who care for them, daily life is not be easy. 

A 59-year-old Maun resident, Ms Elizabeth Phalane attests that caring for a person with disability has many challenges and that adjusting to life with a disability can also be a difficult transition.

She has a son who has been confined to a wheel chair since 1992 at the age of 12 after a pool accident. Currently he depends on his mother to carry out basic activities such as eating, bathing, sleeping as he needs to be supported and escorted.

She revealed in an in interview that the accident changed life for the family completely as her son needed round the clock care.

Ms Phalane explained that her son’s disability put the family under a great deal of emotional, financial stress but they had to counsel themselves and accept the situation.

At the time of the accident Ms Phalane was working as a cleaner  in  Orapa and she was forced to divide her time between taking care of his son, who was hospitalised and  work.

“It was a difficult situation because my son is the first born but by God’s grace, I managed to carry on until my son became stable and continue with his primary school studies. I had to wake up early in the morning to prepare him and take him to school then go to work until he completed his junior certificate and passed with flying colours,” she added.

Unfortunately, her son did not pursue senior secondary school studies because the family was financially challenged to transport him to Letlhakane where he was admitted. 

He was lucky to get hired as a receptionist at the mine clinic. While working, he did an online computer course and obtained a diploma.

In 2004, Ms Phalane quit her full time job and relocated to her home village Maun to fully take care of her family. 

She believed that spending time with family and friends would help her son to stay positive, healthy and forget about his limitations.

She explained that life became unbearable after the death of her husband as she had to fend for the family. “It was difficult for me to go out and look for piece jobs as I had to be home full time taking care of my son. I could not even apply for government initiatives in place or do domestic errands freely, hei! it was a difficult situation,” she stressed.

She is proud that as time went on, her son started seeing things differently and managed to reduce the impact of his disability on his life. 

He proved that disability is not inability as he started writing books, published them and assisted his family.

Ms Phalane pointed out that her son did not let his status deter him from his dream of becoming a seasoned author as he continued writing more books and generated income.

She said her son also embraced other government initiatives and was lucky to receive assistance through LIMID programme though his mother is the one is taking care of his smallstock.

The project is not progressing as expected because of limited time. Ms Phalane said smallstock needed to be looked after all the time more so that there is high rate of stock theft in the area.

She wished the government could consider assisting care givers of people living with disability with an allowance just like people living with disability because there is more work in caring for people with disabilities. 

She also called for the government to be supportive and remove all impediments that make things difficult for people living with disability to earn a living. 

She said people with disability are capable, creative and innovative and some are willing to make a difference in their lives to reduce the impact of disability.

“They may not be able to change their disabilities but they could reduce the impact on their daily lives by seeking and embracing whatever adaptive technologies and tools are available and stay connected to others,” she added.

Lastly, Ms Phalane advised care givers and the community at large to exercise patience and be supportive of people with disabilities, noting that living with disability is not easy but does not have to be a tragedy. Ends