Diabetes Youth Waikato Foundations (2002)
Group or Institution
Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec)
Author(s)
Glen Marsden, Bryony Simmons, Meredith de Denne, Doreen Kaveeta Sami and Jennifer McLeod (Tutor: Gytha Lancaster)
Abstract
Five nursing students from the Waikato Institute of Technology developed this group project with the support of a Tutor. We undertook a project with Diabetes Youth Waikato (DYW). Our aim was to work in partnership with DYW to source information and to enable strong foundations for future growth. DYW is a small group of parents who help other parents with children with diabetes by providing support, information and companionship.
We undertook a literature review on how to form a community support group, and then looked at maintaining a support group, attracting members to a support group, and how members felt about being in a support group. The literature we reviewed supported our findings that a successful support group requires foundation and structure.
To broaden our knowledge we researched the path physiology, history, treatment and psychological aspects of diabetes. We also interviewed members of DYW to obtain a greater understanding of what it is like to live with diabetes.
Interview questions were developed as an instrument to gather information from other successful support groups. We designed the questions specifically to encourage the flow of data. Once we had used these questions to interview the four communities support groups saturation was achieved.
We analysed the results using a thematic process from which six specific themes were identified.
Recommendations drawn from these were:
- Establish and appoint members into official positions to their previous experience and capacity
- Volunteer Waikato could be used to assist with experienced treasurers and secretaries
- Obtain funding handbook from Hamilton City Council and attend annual funding seminar
- Set up accounts and audit processes
- Design a website to increase public awareness of support group
- Begin recording membership and contracts to support funding applications
- Liase with parenting organisations to establish referral networks
We discussed what each theme incorporated in relation to building a strong foundation for a successful support group. From this analysis recommendations were developed for Diabetes Youth Waikato, as a tool to build capacity.
Group/s Associated with the Research:
Diabetes Youth Support Group, Janet Gunn
Janet Bennet
Diabetic Nurse Educator, Suzie Whitcombe
Diabetic Nurse Educator, Sue Singer
Support Group Member, Tim Gunn
Burns Youth, Trish Ball
Burns Youth, John
Parent 2 Parent, Jackie Williams
Canteen, Sandy Schimanski
A full copy of the report is available from:
Research Connections
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Hamilton 2020
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