Overview
This week my goal was to establish a connection with individuals supported by Brooklyn Community Service (BCS) and observe the professional environment within. BCS works in neighborhoods impacted by systemic poverty and strengthens communities by fostering various virtues. These virtues include the educational success of children, the leadership development of youth, the employment and housing stability of adults, the advancement of individuals living with disabilities, and the empowerment of seniors and families. I have been engaged with all individuals within Brooklyn Community and observed the behavior of staff members that demonstrated high involvement with the community and eagerness to help.
Challenges
I anticipated the organizational environment to be less accommodating and friendly, which could have prevented me from conducting my research, but fortunately, this did not happen. Unexpectedly, the communication with individuals became more of a personal challenge as it was proven to be difficult to interact with people that have disabilities due to the assumption about the bitterness of their lives. However, the practice helped me to overcome this sense of uncomfortableness.
Utilization of coaching and/or mentoring
My health coaching program for diabetes and hypertension prevention is still under development at the stage of the literature review. Therefore, no coaching or mentoring techniques were addressed this week.
Capstone Project Plan Progress
My progress on the capstone project is gradually moving as it seems to follow a specific timeline. Several research papers on the benefits of health coaching and the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among patients with disabilities were analyzed. In primary care settings, health coaching demonstrated elevated results on the self-management of chronic illnesses, which may propose benefits of the educational approach in my organizational environment (Chima et al., 2019). In addition, Chinese researchers identified the prevalence of hypertension among patients with physical disabilities (Wu et al., 2021). This opens a prospect for cross-comparison with the US environment and the contribution of my research as a possible prevention measure.
Outcomes achieved
This week several outcomes were achieved: Contact with key management staff of the Brooklyn Community Service; Interaction and analysis of the organizational environment; Overcoming the associated communication challenges.
References
Chima, C. C., Salemi, J. L., Sidani, M. A., & Zoorob, R. J. (2019). Coaching and education for diabetes distress (CEDD): Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 8(4). Web.
Wu, H., Wu, J., Zhang, Z., Zheng, Y., Niu, W., Zheng, L., & Li, J. (2021). Prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension in adults with disabilities: A cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China. Clinical Epidemiology, Volume 13, 769–777. Web.