佐藤雅彦『認知症になった私が伝えたいこと』 (大月書店)

佐藤雅彦『認知症になった私が伝えたいこと』 (大月書店)

「認知症になったらお終まいだ！」「あの人は認知症だ、気の毒に！」などと私も考えていた。たぶん誰でも考えていると思う。しかし、この本はその考えは間違いだと言う。私はこの本を読んでもまだ考えを切り替えられない。でも切り替える根拠のある本だと考えさせられた。

「昨日のことが思い出せない」「今どこにいるかがわからなくなる」「何を買いに来たか思い出せない」「家にあるものをまた買った」「新しい場所に行くにはむずかしい」などが認知症の症状だ。これに対して「毎日メモをしておく」「携帯の位置情報を使う、あるいは人に聞く」「買い物にはメモをつくって行く」「家にあるものをメモして、また買わないようにする」「新しい場所に行くには、サポートの人を頼む」などなどをすれば認知症でも一人で生きていくことができるというのだ。そして周りの人はゆっくりと見守ることが大切だと筆者は言う。

問題は周囲の偏見だ。本人を無視して、認知症の人はかわいそうだから代わって意思を代弁してあげるという家族や周りの人の「親切」がある。医療や介護する人も「程度が低くなった人だから治療」と扱いがちだ。これらは善意から来ているが、認知症本人の思いとはるかにかけ離れていると筆者はいう。

実は私も近所に出かけたとき、ふと物忘れを感じたことがある。「何をしに外出したっけ？」「何か大事な用事を忘れていないか？」一過性だったが、これが物忘れかなと少し感じた。

むずかしい問題だけど我々は認知症になっても心配はないと思う心がまえを持つことが必要だとおもわせる本だ。

Masahiko Sato " What I want to tell you when I have dementia" (Otsuki Shoten Publishing)

I was thinking, "I'm done(お終い) when I have dementia(認知症)!" "I'm sorry(気の毒に思う) for that person's dementia!" Maybe everyone thinks the same way.

But this book says the idea is wrong. I still can't switch my mind after reading this book. But it made me think that it was a book with a basis(根拠) for switching.

" I can't remember yesterday," "I don't know where I am now," "I can't remember what I came to buy," "I bought something at home again," "It's difficult to go to a new place," etc. It's a symptom of dementia.

On the other hand, "make a note every day", "use the location information of your mobile phone or ask people", "make a note for shopping", "make a note of what you have at home, and don't buy it again" "To go to a new place, ask for a support person."

If you do something like that, you can live alone even with dementia. And the author says that it is important for the people around you to watch over slowly.

The problem is the prejudice(偏見) of the surroundings(周囲). There is the "kindness" of family members and those around them who ignore(無視) the person and speak for their intentions(意向) on behalf(代わって) of people with dementia(認知症) because they feel sorry(かわいそうだ) for them. People who take care of medical care and care tend to treat it as "treatment because it is a person with a low(低い) degree(程度)". Although these come from good intentions(善意), the author says they are far from the thoughts of the person with dementia.

Actually, when I went out to the neighborhood, I suddenly felt forgetful(物忘れ). "What did I go out to do?" "Did I forget something important?" It was transient(一時的), but I felt a little forgetful.

It's a difficult problem, but it's a book that makes me think that we need to have a mindset(心がまえ) that we don't have to worry about dementia.