Kalandra Education Group is a private healthcare training provider. They upskill Carers in Dementia and Mental Health and Addiction, Levels 3, 4, and 5, and offer a variety of other NZQA healthcare-related programs www.kalandra.ac.nz

Health Promotion Manager, Lisa Jury was asked to provide a presentation about coeliac disease to their healthcare assistants and support workers. The duties of these roles are many and varied and depend on whether they work in the community or at a residential care facility. Duties can include personal care, feeding, transporting clients to appointments, shopping, food preparation, light household chores and more Presenters were asked to provide a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation and a 15-minute Q&A to follow. The presentations are viewed by Kalandra’s domestic and offshore students, healthcare providers, LinkedIn members, and the wider community. The presentation covered a wide range of information relevant to coeliac disease including symptoms, diagnosis, management, complications, medications, dental health, and supporting the older person. It also covered the GF diet, dietary challenges, and ways to prevent cross-contamination.

At the beginning of the lecture titled ‘’Diving Beneath the Label of Coeliac Disease’’participants were asked about their level of knowledge of coeliac disease. Over 70% reported that they had very little knowledge.

At the conclusion of the presentation, over 80 % reported that their level of knowledge had increased to moderate/extensive. They reported they were more aware of the symptoms of coeliac disease, the risks associated with cross-contamination, and the importance of developing safer hygiene principles.

The participants were asked to share some key take-home messages and learnings from the presentation. This is what they stated:

• If I encounter a client with coeliac disease, I will advise my client that their place should be gluten-free.

• Never ever give them food with gluten and make sure that cross-contamination will not happen when preparing their food.

• Read the package label and search for food that has content of gluten and avoid them. Keep reading the package label when you are going to buy groceries or take heed to search for food that has content gluten to avoid them.

This was a great opportunity to share the knowledge and information regarding CD with key healthcare workers within our community.

Article provided by Coeliac New Zealand Health Promotion Manager Lisa Jury