4 minute read
MA'I SUKA
We meet with Ruana Taito, fresh from the success of running our inaugural diabetes self-management education programme in Sāmoan.
Ruana Taito is the Diabetes Community Coordinator for Porirua, in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. One of her many tasks is to run the sixweek Diabetes: Your Life, Your Journey programme (also known as Diabetes Self-Management Education programmes – or DSME). This course, designed for people with type 2 diabetes, is where attendees get to learn everything there is to know about ma'i suka (diabetes), ask all their questions, and connect with diabetes nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists.
The programme has always been delivered in English here. Until now that is, and Ruana is thrilled with how well it went. ‘Honestly, from all the self-management programmes that I’ve run, this is my best. Because it’s actually delivered in my language.’
Ruana says she understands that the health system is hard to navigate at the best of times and that getting a diagnosis can often be overwhelming. She says that clinical language can be too complicated to fully understand, so she is committed to making all information accessible.
SOWING THE SEED
It was an invitation to an event in a local church last December that sowed the seed. Ruana found herself talking to church leaders about the work she does within Diabetes NZ. ‘Because we are Pasifika and Māori, we are a highrisk population’, she explains. She then broached an idea with the organiser of the event.
‘I asked if I could potentially come and have contact with the pastor of the church about the DSME because ideally we want to bring it to churches as that is where our Pasifika community is at.’ Contact was made where she shared some research about a programme that was trialled in the community and succeeded in delivering education to Pasifika in churches.
The pastor was very keen to receive the programme, being fully aware that, for successful uptake, this form of education must be interpreted or translated so it can be better understood.
Ruana explained to him that she, a non-clinical person, would facilitate it. ‘My role was translating from English to Sāmoan and Sāmoan to English. So a question would be raised, then I would translate it to English. The clinician would explain it, and I would translate it back.’
FIELDING QUERIES
Ruana says that, over the six-week course, she fielded many questions from the group. ‘I felt like people were coming out of their shell to talk about their experiences. They explained how they struggle with diabetes. They asked questions about any confusion and things that they did not understand, “I'm doing this, but why this?” They opened up and then received answers.’
A member of the group asked about sleep, which turned into a discussion about sleep apnoea, which in turn required education on why sleep is important to self-management. Gaps in understanding were also patiently filled by the clinicians via translation from Ruana. Someone didn’t understand what hypertension was, as this is one of many words that doesn’t have a Sāmoan equivalent. So Ruana asked the clinicians to describe what it was, then translated the explanation back to the group. ‘When I translate, people are like “aaah, ok”. They get it now.’
‘It was such a beautiful, more detailed way for our people to understand because it was now translated in our language.’
Pleased with how it went, Ruana is keen to repeat the model. ‘It was actually fun, and even the clinicians were talking about it. They really loved the community engagement from the participants. And the participants were actually engaging. So, honestly, I want to do more of this.’
Ruana shares that she feels she has learnt a lot as well, both from the experience of running the new model and in understanding more about diabetes from the clinicians.
‘I'm grateful to work alongside them. They gave their best for our community to receive, and I want to run as many as I can.’
She says she has another church lined up to run the programme in the future, and she is in the process of connecting with more churches.
Fa'afetai tele to Ruana and the wonderful clinicians.
Diabetes – what you need to know is available on our website in Samoan and other languages.
Diabetes NZ stocks a range of pamphlets and resources with information to help people understand diabetes and to support people with diabetes throughout New Zealand.
