Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f9MHls018206; Mon, 22 Oct 2001 13:47:54 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 13:47:54 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <3BD45A85.14AC51B8@goldfieldaccess.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Archie Willard <millard@goldfieldaccess.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3394] Health Literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.77 [en]C-gatewaynet (Win98; U) Status: O Content-Length: 2883 Lines: 54 This past weekend I attended the 2001 Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) Conference. There were about 575 people at this conference. About 75 of them were adult learners. This conference seemed different from the ones in the past. People were closer, warmer, and friendlier than in the past, probably because of all the events that have happened in our nation since September 11. I could see a literacy family coming together in Albuquerque, NM. Somehow I think we got a feeling of support from each other and we all needed it. I felt good about seeing old friends and renewing acquaintances and I think everyone else felt the same way. At this conference Audrey Riffenburgh, a specialist in Plain English and Health Literacy, and I teamed up to give sessions on Plain English and Health Literacy. These are two subjects that are very important to all of us in literacy. I have given Health Literacy sessions in the past and I have talked to many adult learners about health literacy. There are two things I hear most often from adult learners. One is when adult learners go in for a doctor’s visit, they wish the doctor would sit down and take a little more time with them. This is a concern that I hear from just about every adult learner I have talked with. Second is that there is a trend within the health field that some health care providers are looking for ways to test patients for literacy levels. The adult learners that I have spoken with about literacy testing were very much against this kind of testing for many reasons. After a lifetime of having poor literacy skills this is the last thing an adult learner wants to go through again. This can create a wall between the doctor and the patient and greatly hinder communication. As an adult learner, I have expressed to other adult learners and their tutors that together they should look for ways for the adult learners to better communicate with their doctor. They can do role playing prior to an office visit. They need to have their questions written down beforehand and give them to the doctor when they come in. If you have pain you need to know the degree of pain and how long you have had it. You need to know what medications you are taking and their strengths. The most important thing you can do is to tell your doctor that you have a literacy problem and he/she needs to explain things to you in plain English. We are not all on the same level of understanding things, but we need to communicate on the same level. Don’t ever say you understand something when you don’t. Say you don’t understand and don’t leave until you do. When adult learners become open to their doctors and doctors speak in plain English this will go a long way to better health care. Archie Willard Adult Learner -- Archie Willard millard@goldfieldaccess.net FAX - 515-448-3213 URL - http://www.readiowa.org/archiew.html
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