Diabetes Education
ARDS Education Model in action focussing on Diabetes
Hear Diabetes Audio Programs
Before the diabetes intervention was formulated, time was spent talking to people to find out what they knew and thought about diabetes and chronic disease in general. For example, it was ascertained that there was no real understanding of the disease. People generally thought that it was related to eating white sugar, which was different from other forms of sugar. Most people though that is was not a serious illness and there was very little understanding of the complications that resulted from vascular damage. The fact that it is a chronic illness, which needs life long lifestyle interventions to prevent complications, was not clearly understood. There was also some confusion about the role of medication in that some people thought that medication had a curative role rather than a management role. All these things among many others had to be taken into account while developing the diabetes intervention.
Being able to communicate in Yolŋu Matha also greatly assists when trying to access people’s cultural knowledge base as so much of the way people think is tied up in language. Some concepts do not transfer well in a foreign language such as English as equivalent terms do not exist.
The diabetes story is drawn out on a big piece of butcher’s paper and diagrams, photographs etc are used to illustrate points. Each session starts with a blank sheet of paper which is divided up into four sections.
The story progresses through four main areas:
- the role of carbohydrates and fat in the diet
- normal physiology of fat and carbohydrate use in the body and how this differs in a diabetic
- diabetic complications
- treatment and prevention.
Graphic representations are made on the butcher’s paper as the story progresses. Participants are encouraged to ask questions at any time and the educator checks what the participant(s) is (are) understanding at regular intervals. This is often evident by the comments that are made or the questions that are asked. Through the repeated telling of the story it is fine tuned and enriched by participants responses
The overall aim has been to develop a scientifically correct and rational explanation of the disease and why recommendations for lifestyle changes and medication use are made. ARDS educators work in the people’s language and incorporate the people’s worldview in educational interventions to enhance understanding. The emphasis in the education process is for people to take charge and begin their own investigation of the problem. It is then up to the individual to decide what they will and will not do. It is acknowledged that any number of other factors influences people’s behaviour and that behaviour change may not be the outcome even after the rationale for it is understood. However, for people to be able to take control of their situation effectively they must be able to understand it. People can then create their own interventions.
Yolŋu people’s access to information is not equitable with dominant Australian society. It is not even equitable with many of the ethnic minority groups living in Australia for whom varying amounts of written material has been translated and interpreter services are available. Yolŋu people have expressed very clearly that they want knowledge. ARDS interventions attempt to facilitate Yolŋu people gaining knowledge by making information available in a format that is meaningful
For more geneneral information on Diabetes, including information on types, causes,symptoms of diabetes, medications, and treatment, go to Diabetes Australia.
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