Bristol PCT ... Hands-on approach beats diabetes
Harjeet Panesar, a retired midwife, knows the limitations of the printed word. When she began her job dealing with diabetes in Bristol’s South Asian community, she was straightforward. “I said I believe in more hands-on, less pen and paper,” explains Ms Panesar, who works for Bristol North and Bristol South and West PCTs.
Hundreds of people – some with diabetes, some at risk – have attended workshops that she conducts with a colleague, Veena Bassi, in Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Hindi. They both speak each language fluently. For sessions in Bengali they recruit an interpreter.
Awaz Utaoh, an organisation dealing with domestic violence victims, has invited them in for a session. So has Dhek Bhal, a carers’ association, and Khaas, a community organisation for disabled people, as well as the Asian Day Centre.
“A lot of our people don’t like to read,” says Ms Panesar. “People don’t have time for it. You have to go out and talk to them. We don’t even use Powerpoint presentations, just flip charts so we really hit them with the message, there and then.”
As well as raising awareness of diabetes, the sessions identify new cases of diabetes. Nurses take glucose tests and check blood pressure, referring some people to GPs. The next step is to hold sessions in religious institutions – six temples and a mosque want a workshop. “We’ve also developed our ‘Lose Weight, Feel Great’ programme,” she says. “We offer yoga or aerobics plus a talk from a health professional. Organisations do it after they have had the diabetes workshop so people are learning and then improving their physical activity. It really makes a difference when you get out there and talk to people.”