Unit Three allowed me the unique and exciting chance to write the first draft of a formal report on the implementation of a diversified menu at my workplace, Lynn Valley Care Centre (LVCC).
As mentioned in my Unit Two Reflection, there was quite a bit of anxiety going into this project as it felt so foreign to have an almost entirely self-driven report such as this. However, the peer review process (for the outline and draft) definitely eased my concerns as I became more confident with my own idea and realized that my peers were feeling just as stressed as I was.
The process of ascertaining the primary data for my report was rewarding and gave me great insight into the current perceptions of the LVCC clientele. As I work to improve their QOL on a regular basis, I found that this exposure has allowed me to develop a greater understanding of their needs and desires. Though the topic of my paper is the menu and diets of the clientele, the focus is more on the clients themselves and an attempt to understand their individuality and livelihood prior to entering LTC. I feel that these factors can get vastly overlooked by employees in LTC as so often there is not enough time to spend getting to know each person’s unique qualities that would allow for design of facilities to reflect their clientele. As such, the primary research process has made me even more ethusiastic about the influence of research in this field, even if my own paper can only do so much as to suggest changes in one facility alone. On the other hand, I was somewhat dissapointed in the outcome of the scope of my primary research, as I was only able to distribute the survey to a handful of people due to time constraints. Surveying such a vulnerable population offers many challenges that would have been better served by a longer-term research process. I recognize that this is an important idea to keep in mind when pursuing similar research in the future.
The process of finding secondary research was both interesting and informative as I was able to utilize my prior academic knowledge of food, nutrition and health, as well as my real-world knowlegde of LTC facilities. It was intriguing to see the breadth of research available pertaining to nutrition assessment, food security and therapeutic diets in LTC. However, there was a significant lack of literature focusing on the influence of culture and preference on food choices, and almost a complete lack of this research in the LTC setting. Thus, the process of finding suitable secondary sources was time-consuming, but I am confident that the information I found is relevant and increases the validity of my primary research.
Combining the primary and secondary research into charts, analyzing the data, and summarizing the findings deemed somewhat difficult due to the limited sample size. This made it hard to decide whether the data was significant. Additionally, as a novice in dietary assessment, I felt somewhat unsure in determining what proportion of the DRI must be met to be considered nutritionally adequate. I did my best to utilize my judgement and the available literature to provide a comprehensive interpretation of my findings, and feel confident with the outcome. Further, providing recommendations for LVCC felt fulfilling as I was able to suggest changes to the current menu design that I felt would improve the QOL of the clientele.
It was quite fascinating to review Trisha’s formal report draft about improving the sustainability of Flagship Dental. I am aware that my team member is a dental hygenist, so it is great to see someone with this area of expertise working to improve the environmental practices of a field that produces so much waste. I empathise with the issues that Trisha had in achieving a wide scope for the primary data, as I had similar issues – it seems that many professionals do not feel that students should be given the time of day for their research projects. In the future I would suggest to Erika Paterson and other professors at UBC that providing students with a formal letter that could be shared with the companies that will be researched could ease the process of bypassing confidentiality and other research-related issues. Overall, on account of being a first draft, Trisha’s report had some minor flaws pertaining to clarity, grammar, and repetition. However, I believe that my suggestions, combined with a completion of primary research and thorough editing, will allow for an exceptional final draft that will contribute greatly to her area of research.
Attached is the first draft of my formal report. I look forward to amending it as per Trisha’s suggestions and submitting a final draft by the deadline.