Managing Type 2 Diabetes: Mr. Thomas' Journey

Volunteer Interview/Intervention
Mr. Thomas’ goals
Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Mr. Thomas had to make some changes in his life to help him cope and manage his illness. His goals revolve around lifestyle modification and diet control to keep the sickness at bay. The first goal that Mr. Thomas made was smoking cessation. As a diabetic senior citizen, smoking would gravely jeopardize Mr. Thomas’ health and may lead to the buildup of other complications such as cancer and heart attack. In light of this, Mr. Thomas took a step to quit smoking. The second goal that Mr. Thomas made was to watch his diet. Mr. Thomas loves meat, and especially fried chicken. He confessed to eating meat in every meal of the day. On one of his visits to the doctor,

With this in mind, it requires an empathetic approach to ensure that the patient feels the support of those around him or her. In light of this, motivational interviewing was chosen to determine the behavioral changes and lifestyle choices that Mr. Thomas had resolved to take to manage the illness better. In motivational interviewing, the respondent reveals the changes and goals he or she is willing to make to control and manage a terminal illness (Longtin, Sax, Leape, Sheridan, Donaldson & Pittet, 2010). It includes an investigation into the eating habits, lifestyle choices and social dynamics of the patient that will enable improved care and continued therapy to reduce the adverse effects. In Mr. Thomas’ case, motivational interviewing entailed asking questions about his lifestyle choices, his dietary modification and the way he interacts with his family and friends. The end result of this investigation is to determine whether Mr. Thomas has taken a resolution to change the aspects of his life that would aggravate his condition and lead to more severe health outcomes. In so doing, it is possible for the patient to accept the illness and tailor his or her lifestyle and dietary needs according to the requirement of the

Thomas. I avoided questions that seemed to spark painful memories and I sought to show him respect and admiration for his tenacious actions against the illness. As Dr. Mitchell highlighted in her article, the basis for motivational interviewing is remaining compassionate and empathetic to the patient (Mitchell, 2012). During the interview, I listened more and talked less, thereby allowing Mr. Thomas ample time to explain himself. I avoided being pushy and I let him dominate the conversation. If I had dominated the conversation, it would have seemed like I was cross-examining him with harsh intentions, which would not have been compassionate on my part (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). From the interview, it was obvious that he wished he could do more in his life, especially visiting his children and grandchildren. Since his mobility has been limited due to the foot infection, he is not able to visit his loved ones often like he used to