Peer education involves teaching ordinary people about a topic, so they can pass on the knowledge and skills to their peers in the community. It makes use of the fact that people are often more willing to learn new ideas and information from people with similar backgrounds to themselves.

The wise use of medicines is an ideal topic for peer education. Over the last year, the Community Quality Use of Medicines Program (CQUM) has been trialling a new approach to peer education for older people in multicultural communities. The project involved four community organisations representing older people from five language groups, and the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Federation of New South Wales. The communities represented were Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Greek, Italian and Vietnamese.

The Italian-speaking group chosen was the Italian Social Welfare Organisation based in Wollongong and Shellharbour on the south coast of New South Wales. It was set up in 1971 to help people of Italian background, particularly seniors, people with disabilities and carers. It provides information, referral, advocacy and respite care through its resource, drop-in and day-care centres.

Eight peer educators were recruited from the many volunteers who help run the Organisation’s three day-care centres. They were chosen because they were of Italian background, had a good understanding of Italian culture, were fluent in English, and had a strong commitment to the project.

The peer educators undertook three training sessions with trainers from the CQUM Program. The topics covered included medicines are not just prescription medicines, the importance of giving your doctor and pharmacist information about yourself, and the need to ask questions of your doctor and pharmacist. Each person received a workbook and the Italian bilingual version of the Medimate brochure.

Before delivering their first real peer education session, the peer educators practised delivering sessions in pairs. While alternately taking on the roles of peer educator and audience, they supported and encouraged each other, and appraised each other’s presentations. They then had a trial run in front of the CQUM trainers.

The peer education sessions were conducted with the Organisation’s day-care centre clients who were mainly older people and people with disabilities. The peer educators worked in pairs with groups of 8–10 people. This allowed them to work closely with the clients, and take advantage of their existing relationships with them. It also allowed them to help and support each other as needed during the sessions. Each session lasted about an hour, and was followed by question time.

Sessions were also conducted with a local Italian women’s group.

At the end of each session, the clients were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire. Their feedback clearly indicated that they enjoyed the sessions, and wanted more of them.

Some of the peer educators also staffed a stall in the mall in Wollongong during Italian Week. This gave them the opportunity to talk to local residents, and distribute bilingual information about medicines and their use.

The Italian peer educators in action in the Wollongong mall. 

Encouraged by the success of the project, Maria Di Carlo, the project’s local co-ordinator, applied for one of the small community grants offered by the CQUM Multicultural Program. The grant enabled the Organisation to do more quality use of medicines work by providing funds to cover the expenses incurred by the peer educators.

The Italian Social Welfare Organisation was just one of four community organisations chosen to trial the peer education project. Like the other organisations, it adapted the project to suit the needs of its community.

For example, the Italian training sessions were conducted in English, because all the peer educators were fluent in English. In contrast, the other training sessions were conducted in the first language of the relevant community. This was achieved by having qualified interpreters who worked alongside the trainers from the CQUM Program.

This latter approach had several advantages. It allowed any member of the community to become a peer educator regardless of their fluency in English. It also allowed the peer educators to hear, use and become familiar with the vocabulary and ways of expressing the messages in their own language. This made it easier for them to convey the messages to their peers, because they were already familiar with them in their own language, and they did not have to worry about interpreting them.

Where possible, the training methods were not fixed, so the trainers could modify their teaching to meet the needs and preferences of the relevant community. For example, it was found that the Chinese-speaking groups were keen to get as much written information as they could, so greater emphasis was placed on providing them with written materials.

All four community groups have now completed their component of the project. Soon, the CQUM Program staff will go through the evaluations to determine which aspects of the project worked and which did not. The information will be used to plan future multicultural peer education projects.