Summary of summer learning service

This summer I have continued to help educate the foster grandparents at CWC. The topics that I presented were requested by the group and focused in promoting a healthy lifestyle. The foster grandparents consist of a group of ladies that are in their late 70's and 80's that provide companionship for the individuals that live at CWC.

The foster grandparents qualify as a vulnerable and underserved population which is why I chose this group. As an advanced practice nurse my role will focus on identifying deficits in health care delivery systems for the underserved populations. As a nurse educator it is within my scope of practice to identify educational needs and provide education to help individuals improve their quality of life.

The greatest challenge in providing education for a group of octagerians was to find the right educational level of material to present. They are all smart ladies but don't understand medical terminology so I needed to focus on content appropriate for the general population.

I learned that regardless of a person's age there is still a desire to learn new information. The discussions that happened after the presentations were so very interesting to me. These women have lived through the depression when food was rationed and everyone hunted as opposed to going to the grocery store. They are a great group of energetic woman that have many life experiences that have dictated their ability to problem solve.

I will continue to educate the foster grandparents on health care issues that are important to have to promote a quality of life. I will also work with the foster grandparents’ program coordinator to further investigate projects that will involve this volunteer group with the greater organization.

Thanks.....Cindy

 

Nutrition Part 2

Today I spent time with the foster grandparents discussing part 2 of my nutrition lecture -Reading labels.

The content that I covered included:

·        Nutrition Facts Label- specific information

·        Label example

·        Nutrition Facts

·        Calories/Calories from fats

·        General guidelines for calories

·        Nutrients

·        Understanding the footnote

·        Comparing labels

I had asked the foster grandparents to each bring 2 labels from their favorite foods. We went through and read about 20 labels from a variety of foods. I took the opportunity to discuss healthy alternatives to some of the food items. The discussion was interesting as topics surfaced as included cooking for one person, limited budgets and eating habits.

It was a well-rounded discussion with many great questions that provided an opportunity for me to review some of the content from nutrition part 1. The group commented that they learned new things today….with the ending comment as “ I guess you are never too old to learn”.

Cindy

Nutrition Part 1

Nutrition affects everyone in all walks of life, educational level and socioeconomic class. Society today is accustomed to receiving information about nutrition from magazines articles, newspapers and TV commercials/documentaries. 

Today I was asked to talk about the topic of nutrition for the foster grandparents. I decided to present Part 1 to include the basics of nutrition and Part 2 to explain how to read labels. 

I presented Part 1 today to 8 foster grandparents at their department meeting. The Power Point presentation covered:

·       *  Eat this …not that- advertisements used by the media.

·      *  Risk factors for overweight or obesity

·      *  Define carbohydrates, proteins, fat and alcohol including examples of each.

·      *  Beverages

·    *    Daily caloric intake requirements based on age, gender and degree of activity

·    *    Food journaling.

·   *     Portion size.

What I found most interesting in the discussion today was the eating habits of these octogenarians were so affected by the era in which they were raised. These women all experienced the great depression when food was not only scarce but rationed. Much of the audience was not fans of meat as it was a rare commodity to eat growing up. They talked about having wild meat such as squirrel, wood chucks and turkey to eat. They enjoy fruits and vegetables that they had in their gardens and referred to “canning everything”.

I also gave them an overview of the proper way to approach dieting with eating 3,500 calories less to lose one pound of weight. These women are fairly active in their lifestyles and asked great questions. 

Again I enjoyed the time I spent with them helping discuss nutrition and how important it is to eat right to maintain health. I look forward to enlightening them on label reading for Part 2.

Thanks…..Cindy