By Anne Kraemer Diaz | Executive Director
Our research with rural diabetic patients in Guatemala has demonstrated that patients strongly prefer education classes and materials in the indigenous langauges. For example, many patients have explained that they fail to understand explinations in Spanish about diabetes control and diet modification. Most often, they return home after the consult with no resolution.
In order to provide the best care possible to our patients, we added an education course that incorporates indigenous knowledge and culture. The course is also taught in the indigenous langauge. We recently graduated the first class of adult, Kaqchikel Maya participants. The course was extremely successful! Participants explained that they not only learned how to control their diabetes with diet and medication in their own langauge, but for the first time ever they have found a strong social support in order to make the diet and liefstyle changes that are necessary to manage their diabetes.
One class participant explained that she struggled to follow the diet she was taught by us during consult, at home because no one else in her household understood her specific diet or its importance. But since we made family, friends, and the class particpants part of the learning process and key to supporting her and keeping her healthy, she now feels that now has the support at home and in the community to make better dietary decisions.
We are excited with the outcome from the first class and we can't wait to start more in January! Stayed tuned for more updates.
Thank you so much for your support in 2013!
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By Peter Rohloff | Medical Director
By Peter Rohloff | Medical Director
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