Over the past two months, the HOPE Centre has been focusing
on educating patients about diabetes and/or hypertension.
Portia Zulu and her team of Peer Educators discuss the work
they've been doing. As Health Education
Manager, Portia equips the team to educate others by passing on her expertise
in nutrition and health.
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| Portia | Health Education Manager |
Currently, the Education Team is implementing a program, 5
Steps to Self Care, that equips patients with knowledge about their health and
stresses the importance of knowing their numbers.
"The program answers questions such as: What is
hypertension? What are high numbers? What are low numbers? And what are the warning signs I should look
out for?" Portia explains. "It
also teaches people what they should and shouldn't eat."
The 5 Steps to Self Care walks patients through basic
understanding of diabetes and hypertension, nutrition, as well as exercise. Overall, the course is 25 sessions and
includes hands-on lessons like cooking demonstrations and exercise
classes.
"We haven't decided for sure, but we are thinking we'll
hold Zumba classes for the exercise portion of the program," Portia says.
Another program sponsored by one of our partners, Lily, is
Conversation Maps. Intended to get
patients talking and asking questions, Conversation Maps highlights common
lifestyle choices and how these decisions affect diabetics. Topics such as portion control, proper
exercise, and myths surrounding diabetes are discussed. Portia explains some of the ways that a
patient's culture may affect his lifestyle choices. For example, large family gatherings with plenty
of unhealthy foods are common, and a patient may feel obligated to partake. She also explains that providing people with
accurate information about diabetes is essential. When a patient begins feeling the negative
effects of diabetes, she may visit a traditional healer instead of seeking
medical attention, which can lead to ineffective treatment or no treatment at
all.
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| Portia shows off the program, Conversation Maps |
But these programs alone are not enough. A motivated and educated team is required to
bring this valuable information to our patients. Portia and team of three Peer Educators work
to bridge that gap and to make this information applicable and easy to
understand.
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| Xolelwa | Peer Educator |
Xolelwa teaches two classes every week -- one for the HOPE
staff and one for community members. Even
though her community class is just starting up the 5 Steps to Self Care, she
sees that the students are eager to learn and contribute.
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| Jeff | Peer Educator |
Jeff also has two classes, and is excited to report that his
class of community members has an attendance of 80%. Jeff recognizes the hard work of his
students. "One of the ladies that
attends is beginning to pay attention to what she eats. While at a big family event, she chose
healthy foods," he says.
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| Donation | Peer Educator |
Donation's two community classes are also thriving. "They ask many questions and even want
to invite friends," he says. One of
Donation's classes is held on Saturdays.
The team explains that patients will often have jobs that keep them from
attending during the week.
The members of the Education Team are diverse, come from various
backgrounds, and speak different languages. They explain that this comes in handy while
teaching the classes, as English is not the first language of many of their
students.
Flexible and motivated, this power team is determined to educate the HOPE patients and push them towards healthier lifestyles.
But their work doesn't stop there. They are also to determined to practice what they preach. Going through the 5 Steps of Self Care themselves, the team is implementing healthier choices in their own lives.
As of now, there are 90 people participating the 5 Steps to
Self Care program, and the team expect numbers to continue to grow.
