Appreciating Stories

One of the most meaningful trainings I experienced this year was presented by Adriana Diaz, Director of Human Resources at Erie Family Health.  Ms. Diaz counseled us about some of the softer skills necessary to make an impact on the clients we serve.  During her presentation, she continuously highlighted the importance of empathy in effective client care; she told us to carefully listen to the stories of those we serve. 

While volunteering to provide nutritional counseling at a church in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, I had the chance to listen and reflect on the story of a client. She radiated with energy despite lacking stable housing and having a distant relationship with her daughter who was around my age.  Once she shared that part of her story with me, I was really able to empathize with her.  While there may be parts of the situation that she did not share, I still could not imagine the type of mental stress that would be placed on a mother who could not speak with her child. 

She was also hospitalized and treated for hyperglycemia and other complications of diabetes about a month before we met. Although she knew she would be living with the complications of diabetes for the rest of her life, she told me how she had proactively changed to ensure that she would not be hospitalized again. In addition to taking prescribed medication, she maintained a healthy blood sugar level through exercise, or as she put it,'walking 50 million blocks" and after traveling by foot through such a vast city like Chicago, I could relate and knew that her efforts served as a suitable workout. She also admitted to making some very important changes to her diet—like baking meats instead of frying them and reading nutritional labels. As I praised her for her efforts, her face lit up with a huge smile.

My interaction with this woman helped me appreciate the importance that stories play in understanding a person's life and their health outcomes.  I realized that it is easier to help someone once you have connected your story to his or her story.   What Ms. Diaz shared with us during her presentation  will continue to play a fundamental role in my service position.  It is my hope to better serve those in the community by listening to their accounts to help motivate their health decisions.

This post was written by CHC member Lauren Prince.

Lauren serves as a Health Promoter at Heartland Health Centers - Senn/Roosevelt.