I am involved in creating a community-based diabetes self-manage- ment program operated by diabetics for diabetics. I am asking for your ideas on what to include in a beginning six-hour kickoff to be followed up by a weekly 60-90 minute meeting throughout the year. This is a format similar to a popular weight reduction program and numerous twelve-step programs. The purpose is to provide strategies, tips and other supports that we can give each other. One rule is the one of the two co-facilitators must be a highly-experienced, well-managed diabetic; the other can be a person who brings other skills or expertise to the program. This is a "dream out-loud" program, so give my your best ideas as what we could/should include and what we must avoid. I'd like this to be a portable program that can be operated out of a church basement or any generally-accessible public place. Wanna weigh-in?
Creating a Community-Based Diabetes Self-Management Program
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At the first meeting, ask everyone to introduce themselves and to tell their "story" about their diabetes. Quite often they haven't had a chance to do that because the health care people don't have time to listen and their relatives don't want to hear about it.
I once went to a "support" group at which we didn't even introduce ourselves. We came in, sat down, and listened to a lecture by an "expert." Then we went home. I didn't feel there was any support at all and didn't attend more than a couple of times.
Thank you for focusing on this most important beginning! By the time people return for the weekly meetings, they will have gotten to "know" each other through the welcoming and introductions during the long initial session. By the next weekly meeting there will be some familiarity with each other, but I think we should still do a "quicker" re-introduction and a warm group welcoming of each other! I've heard that this is a real key in the twelve-step programs to help people want to return each time.
I currently attend three support groups and none of them welcome the participants in any formal way nor are participants introduced. I continue because I'm interested in what I can gleam from these support groups, but I have surely noted that there is often a lack of connection, warmth or caring shown toward the individuals who attend. In two of the groups, it is sort of a "closed-circle" group of people who know each other socially, but in the third there are more than 60 people who attend the monthly breakfast. I noticed the last time with this group that the program structure provided no time for the people to just plain socialize; as a result, they simply ignored the guest presenter and socialized during her presentation. With 60 people in an echoing gymnasium it's already hard to hear what's going on and some people are just plain rude! But the structure itself is not designed for real interaction, except for questions of the "expert". It's designed for "top-down" (I talk, you-all listen). By the way, that's another thing I've learned from most of these programs: "We're the experts, telling you, the patients, what you should be doing..." I find this to be hugely disappointing.