Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s Class Reaches Out to Indonesian-Americans
Monday May 4, 2009
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Scheideler greets many of the 41 participants by name, offering a quick hello in their native language, or a welcoming hug. By 9:30 a.m., the programs begin and the two main auditoriums are transformed. In one room, groups of people gather around large, colorful 3-by-4-foot conversation maps.
This program for people from Indonesia is the first to target a specific disease. The conversation maps are a new concept to diabetes, but they are very visual, and makes it is easy for participants to ask questions. Educators ask simple questions such as “Do you notice anything? Do you see any pictures that you want to learn more about?”
The format is nonthreatening, and there is no right or wrong answer. In less than one minute, the group begins to explore what it might feel like to have diabetes.
Questions about being diagnosed, where to purchase medication, and how to find a doctor emerge as the class begins.
“In 2000, 8.4 million Indonesians suffered from diabetes; the figure is expected to increase to 21.3 million in 2030,” says professor Sidartawan Soegondo, metabolic endocrine and diabetes consultant for the University of Indonesia’s medical faculty.
The World Health Organization reported in July 2007 that Indonesia ranks fourth in terms of diabetes sufferers in the world. With a population of more than 230 million, Indonesia has the fourth-largest number of diabetes sufferers after China, India, and the United States. However, only about 50% of diabetes sufferers in Indonesia realized they have the disease.
Wentworth-Douglass nurses Scheideler and Lori Mancuso initially reached out to the Indonesian community by hosting two health fairs in 2008. With the assistance of 11 local ministers, Wentworth-Douglass gained the trust of a growing community.
The diabetes program ends after individuals are instructed how to use a glucose meter, and offered specific information regarding how to manage their diabetes.
Karen Adams, RN-BC, MSN, CNL, is clinical coordinator of diabetes services.
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