week 2 (27-31 July) Activities captured in action

Campus, for the remaining 4 weeks




AND WHAT?! Another AWESOME "Hello to my Health" session.
Incredible. Energy. Informative. Creative

 Yes, I have blue seude shoes.
My shoes help me get through my day in comfort and with a smile, that's how much I love them.
(It just musn't rain)

 Sometimes I think we forget to admire the beauty that surrounds us in our every day lives. So hello flowers on the way back from hospital, next to the tree that makes a beautiful rustling noise.


Our exciting breastfeeding Health Promotion set up for the KMC moms. Great success.

You are as strong or weak as you believe yourself to be (week 2)

This past week we have been in the Worcester hospital where we were given a ward to screen and follow-up throughout the week. My ward contained a lot of chronically ill patients including diabetics, renal patients and COPD. It also included TB patients, these patients were all malnourished and required supplemental drinks.

 Being in hospital is really a life changing experience where there is no monotony and the difference you make to each individual can be so rewarding, even if it's simply giving them a warm smile and asking them how they are(asking like you really care and you really want to know the answer) you can see that they appreciate it. I'm not just talking about the patients here, because obviously we have to go into much more detail with them, but I'm talking about the nurses, the cleaners and the security. These people spend a lot of time looking after others and making sure they are alright, but does anyone ever ask if they are ok and give them some attention? So for me treating my patients and the people that work in the ward with the same warmth and care is so important, because then I know even if I can't make a huge difference in their lives nutritionally wise I have at least made a difference in the way they feel that day.

 There were a few incidents this past week that truly touched me in my ward, I would love to go into detail about every single one but I feel like that would take a bit long. Briefly though I counselled a few patients on Diabetes and also a weight loss patient  and I could see how much they appreciated what I had taught them(they also thanked me many times, so I know they appreciated it) and that they truly were going to make a change to their diets when they returned home. From this I realized that half the problem or even more than half the problem in our country is that people do not have the knowledge to make a change in their lives, they don't know any better, which enforced my belief in that Community Nutrition plays such an important role as that is where health promotion can occur and with health promotion comes prevention which would basically mean that less people would be in hospital from eg hyper/hypoglycemia because they would know how to manage their Diabetes better , if they even had it(wishful thinking to completely prevent diabetes from occurring).

Teaching the moms how to cup feed and express breast milk when we had never done it before was quite a daunting experience, but educating the moms on breastfeeding and positioning and latching was incredibly rewarding and I really enjoyed it. I think that one needs to be careful with how much information you give in one go as they are very overwhelmed , especially if they have just had their first child. With that in mind I it is also very important to not just criticize the moms but to encourage them on what they are doing right as well, it is important that breastfeeding remains a positive activity not one where you are worried you are doing something wrong in. So remain calm, patient and positive when you are educating moms would be my number one tip.

 Being able to cup feed a KMC baby was incredible exposure that I am very grateful now, because now I know how difficult it is, but only if you don't know your child. I say this because I think you learn the different mannerisms and the best position to cup feed your child so the more you cup feed the easier it gets and the more the baby gets use to it. The experiences with the mothers and the tut we had the previous week will definitely better further consultations with future mothers.

Suggestions to use our time more effectively during Ukwanda:

• ·         To have ward rounds every day in hospital, even if they are very brief, as it allows us to learn from the other Dietitians patients and not just our own. Which obviously means we have greater exposure, which will hopefully allow us to be able to know how to handle different patients in the future.
• ·         I think it is very important to do health promotion in the clinics and day hospital specifically focusing on Diabetes and Hypertension as these are too very common ailments in the community and they can easily be managed with help from the diet.
• ·         With this being said I think that Health Promotion aimed at care givers for their children is essential:

o   This would include educating them on correct complementary feeding guidelines, so basically healthy eating and the portion sizes for their children.

o   As well as teaching the Mom's in the birthing wards about the RtHB and going through it step by step. This is very important, and I strongly recommend it, as there is no one else who will take the time to give such a detailed explanation to them. With that explanation they should know the importance of breastfeeding, how to complementary feed as well as the importance of going to the clinic. And with just that we can change so many lives.

• ·         I realize we have to make the most of our time here and that a day only ends at 4pm, like any other working day would, but finishing at 4pm on a Friday in Worcester and still having to drive back to Cape Town is very tiring and not very enjoyable. I also know that we are encouraged to stay in Worcester over weekends, but when you are in private accommodation in Cape Town(which is generally quite expensive), have a gym membership and friends there it is unlikely that we won't return every weekend. It would be fantastic if we were refunded for every weekend. But I wouldn't not want to come here, I think that the opportunities we receive in Worcester are incredible and we are blessed to have such different learning opportunities.

To summarize what made my week.

A patient said to me when talking about where I was going for Community Service next year(casual conversation):

" Ah , so you want o go back to your home so you can help your people".

I was blown away, that is the exact reason I am returning home, to give back to the people who gave to me. What an incredible individual, and even though she was severely ill, her soul and mind were not. They were fill of energy and passion for life! Which just shows, you are as strong or weak as you believe yourself to be.

"Are you finished weighing me?" "Yes I am" " Ok good, cause I want to go for a walk now" "Where are you going to go?" " Oh I don't know, I just don't want to lie in bed anymore it makes me feel useless and tired".

Week 1(20-24 July) activities captured in action

A fun filled morning of measurements in Ceres. In my element. In my happy place. Children.




Note to self: When working with children it is important to tie ones hair up to avoid the above, especially when you aren't sure how to say "be gentle" in their language.

Friday morning drive to Hermanus for our Tut.
What beauty we live in.
In the below picture you can see us all making our "breasts" to help with health promotion messages to breastfeeding mothers.

Thank you Ceres and Hermanus for such fabulous learning experiences.

Welcome to Worcester

In our first week in Worcester we saw many new things, obviously, we are in a new place. To try and describe everything that we did and saw would take far too long. For me the highlights of my week were easy to identify, and they included:

"Hello to my Health"

This is a 5 week education programme for Diabetics, to teach them about Diabetes and how to deal with all the aspects that come along with it- complications, nutrition, medication etc. There are various members of the team that do the education, they include Doctors, nurses and Dietitians.

Watching them interact with the patients was amazing, the energy that they had and the way they connected to the patients was truly inspiring. One could see that every person in the room ,Dr's and patients, were having fun. I think that everyone walked away having learnt something. As Health Promotion is a passion of mine I hope to one day be able to conduct education in the way "Hello to my Health" is done. They put theory that could be so complex into such a basic and understandable form, whether it be through songs or ice breakers, quick explanations, actions or questions. It just goes to show that the more interactive you are with people and the more pure interest you show in them as an individual the more they will respect and listen to the advise you have to share with them. Cannot wait for the next session, "Hello, hello, hello to my Health".

Ceres, Growth Monitoring

Children. What did I experience? My senses were definitely in fill use this day. From seeing lots of cute little faces with snot noses, to hearing the adorable laughter of a child and the not so adorable crying of some(not wanting to be measured) , to having felt little hands in my own hands and in my hair as well as smelling the odd dirty nappy, I'd say my senses had a full day of experiences.

Growth monitoring is an incredible way to prevent so many problems, such as early recognition of malnutrition and stunting to helping a child ensure they have the best brain development through Vitamin A supplementation etc.

For me Growth monitoring is one of my favorite parts of Dietetics, we have the ability to make a difference in someone's life that could have caused unnecessary speed bumps in their later life, as well as the fact that I really enjoy being around children and interacting with them. Needless to say this day was greatly appreciated and enjoyed in every way.

One of my biggest goals in life would be to make a difference in as many children's lives as possible as they are our future, and we need to make sure our future is healthy and ready to be the best they can be, to allow them to grow.

It was also nice to see the different areas within the Winelands area, the drive was spectacular and even allowed us to have a group photo with a scenic background.

Tut in Hermanus

Hermanus is always such a special place to go to, where I have so many memories and where a lot of my motivation to continue dietetics came from. So to be back there was like a breath of motivation, especially considering we did such fun things.

Although "Community Profiles" are quite a mission and sometimes finding all the information is a bit harder and takes a bit longer than we thought it would, I think it is  a very necessary task to do in the beginning of the block. As the block goes on you will learn more about your community and how it functions, but to have that general background information of the community you are working in before you decide on what your plans are is greatly beneficial in ensuring that what you are changing or doing is actually needed.

Making a breast, a simple easy to make one, was so much fun and I think it is such a great way to help with consultations of showing how proper attachment should occur as well as the anatomy of the breast. Just in general a brilliant idea to help us make it easier for moms to understand.

Doing case studies on problems mothers occur during breastfeeding is a really good way for us to discuss and understand how to handle these situations in "real life". Especially because we were able to discuss it with someone who has experienced breastfeeding . Breastfeeding truly is an incredible "gift" the body is able to provide to ones child, every time we discuss breastfeeding I become very passionate and also, I suppose in a way, irritated that some moms even though are well educated seem to still believe that formula feeding is best. I mean breast milk comes from you, it is made by you specifically for your baby what better nutrition could you possibly give your child?

General orientation of the Worcester community

A very big part of understanding ones community, I think, is to see the different aspects of the community(housing, shops, schools, roads etc) for yourself. To explore the streets of each sub-district and to go into the shops from where people can buy their food can only benefit us in understanding how communities function and survive.  Having a general "map" orientation of a place in which I am truly helps me to see where I want to go and what goals could be achievable for that community.

Week 1, done and dusted, well more like done and snowed. Adjusting to the cold has been interesting, Cape Town now seems so warm even though it is only a beautiful scenic  1.15 hours away. Being away from "home" allows one to really appreciate what they have, but at the same to know that the amount which we will grow from Ukwanda will help us to blossom into better people and better Dietitians makes being away not all that bad.

Back.Ground

"Ukwanda" , which means"to grow", begins in the heart of the beautiful Breede Valley in a town known as Worcester on the stunning modern campus of Stellenbosch University.

The reason for Ukwanda ,for Bsc Dietetics students, is to allow us to work with all 3 subjects of our IV year in one. These subjects include Diet Therapy, Community Nutrition and Foods.This means that it gives us a better idea of what the working world is like(where all 3 aspects of dietetics will be combined until we decide on the path we wish to take) and hopefully help prepare us , if only a little bit, for the following year of Community service.

Our Ukwanda block allows us to be exposed to more of a rural setting as well, which is a good break from the busy life of Cape Town where the city never sleeps.

I think that the name Ukwanda is beautiful, because the way Stellenbosch have designed this section of the Health allies curriculum allows us to be exposed to "real" life in a way in which we are still guided yet given opportunity to grow in the direction we choose. What I mean by this is that although there is structure to the work we have to complete and there are tasks which must be finished for marks(sadly), we are still given many different learning opportunities all of which add to our growth as an individual. This can be academic knowledge, growth as an individual as well as how to consult in different ways.

We are also very lucky that in this setting we are able to work as a multidisciplinary team, which we are often not exposed to in the bigger hospitals and communities.

Needless to say I am very excited about the next 6 weeks and I hope to grow in as many ways as possible, except for sideways.

I hope that this brief Back.Ground has given you a general understanding of what Ukwanda is and what this block means to us as students. 

As the weeks go on I shall post various reflections of what we have done, seen and experienced which will hopefully give you further insight into the beautiful structure of Ukwand as well as a better understanding of what a Dietitian is and does, hopefully.

Enjoy