Family Health Assessment Part I
Dorian Martin
Grand Canyon University
Family-Centered Health Promotion
4 December 2022
Family Health Assessment Part I
Every family has its unique characteristics. Family well-being is an integral component in patient care- it necessitates nurses to assess and attain evidence about the family. This helps understand various issues impacting the family, including contributors to health issues hence developing effective health promotion processes. When dealing with individual care needs, healthcare professionals must address the whole family structure (Kaakinen et al., 2018). The nurse's duty involves facilitating health promotion to families by understanding the various dynamics and applying professional expertise. The family health assessment conducts an interview and identifies the family structure, overall health behaviors, strengths, barriers, and application of family systems theory to bring change.
The interview involved an African American family consisting of five members. The family was very open-minded and agreed to participate in the interview wholeheartedly. The father, the head of the family, is 37 years old. The father is a resident commercial automobile driver and a motorbike fanatic. The mother is aged 35 years and works as a nurse assistant. She primarily works at night shift at a local geriatric establishment. The family comprises three young ones: 12 years and 17 years daughter and a 15-year-old son. The oldest sibling is in sophomore high school, is employed in a local store, and fascinates more about cheerleading. The second born is in high school and loves to play soccer. The youngest sibling is in the seventh grade and loves music and watching videos. The family lives in a single-family establishment in Maryland. The father works for five days weekly and engages in bike riding activities during the weekend. The daughters and sons are responsible for household maintenance as their parents are often at work. The family spends the outings together and does not believe in religious engagements.
The family has a high health value. They believe that health is a primary contributor to the family's happiness. Everyone in the family is healthy, and no reported health issues in a while. Good health is attributed to the family's regard for nutrition as a critical part of health and development. The mother always tries to offer balanced meals and keep up-to-date doctor’s visits as they aim to maintain good overall health. During the interview, a fascinating finding is that the mother prepares homemade foods like beef, cheese, and fried foodstuffs on most days of the week. The siblings enjoy soda, juice, and pizza, while the dad consumes anything he gets on the road, like candy and chips. The older child regards herself as a vegetarian hence does not consume meat and adheres to a pescatarian diet.
The family has already set sleeping arrangements where the young must sleep more than seven hours daily. The father occasionally takes daytime sleep combined with six hours of sleep at night. The mother mainly sleeps five to six hours during the day due to her night shift engagements. The children go to bed at ten and wake up around six. Before bed, the family likes to watch movies or TV while the parents take wine. The family has no reported elimination issues. Mainly everyone enjoys regular bowel movements daily. The family tries to maintain an active life through exercises or physical activities. The mother is always active when walking down the halls and attending to various patients. The children also engage in walking to and from school- they as well engage in active sports. The father maintains fit through his work of unloading trucks.
The parents are high school graduates and never went to college. They have better cognition but not compared to their children. The mother, in most instances, cannot remember many past things, although her sensory perception can make her remember them. Her children are sharp as they are in their development process. The family has a fantastic self-perception- they accept their flaws and strengths. For example, the son is undersized and gratified. The family members are fit and in good health and do not consider changing anything as an option. The roles are divided among the father and mother, who give various tasks to the children. For instance, the mother keeps appointments and makes a schedule for things like shopping. The father pays most bills. The elder child cares for other siblings, and the children do reasonable house chores.
In sexuality, the parents have rare instances of sexual relations. The eldest daughter is bisexual, although she never engaged in sexual interactions. Mom offers safe sex awareness, like protection, to the children. The mother has a challenge coping with stress, mainly from the loss of her father. She mainly sees a therapist and is making progress, although the father feels she does not need a therapist. The other family members argue they do not have problems coping with various challenges.
The interview offered essential insights into the family's weaknesses and strengths. Among the most significant strengths are self and sensory perceptions. It shows that family has a more profound and better sense of self and hence are comfortable with how their lives are progressing regarding feelings and physical wellness. The father acts as a role model and teaches his children to have self-pride. A strong self-perception or self-concept is essential as it influences people's mood, judgment, and behavior (Moreira, DeSouza & Guerra, 2018). The family is cheerful in themselves hence optimistic thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. The mother plays an integral part in robust sensory perception as she ensures that they get annual vision assessments and physicals. That helps maintain their health and is not impacted by an abnormal response to stimuli.
Conversely, the family has elimination, nutrition, and coping issues. The son has various bowel movements, but no significant intervention is offered. Diet and exercise can help in the elimination process. The family appears to maintain a balanced their nutrition is lacking. The diet mainly contains fatty and cholesterol foods. The mother has a problem coping with stress, while the father does not believe in the need for medical interventions. That indicates a problem, as taking care of oneself through professional aid is essential in healing.
The concept defines a family as a multifaceted social structure where the affiliates associate and impact each other behavior. It establishes that the family is interconnected and viewed as a system rather than individual elements (Bortz et al., 2019). In this family, the mother struggles to cope with stress, mainly when a vital member is affected. As a whole entity, the family as a system needs to collectively offer a hand in the coping approach as they have a great sense of self. That would change the father’s behavior or attitude towards seeking medical intervention when dealing with psychological issues. The family needs to be aware of the essentiality of family support and how it influences individual attitudes and decisions.
References
Bortz, P., Berrigan, M., VanBergen, A., & Gavazzi, S. M. (2019). Family systems thinking as a guide for theory integration: Conceptual overlaps of differentiation, attachment, parenting style, and identity development in families with adolescents. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(4), 544-560.
Kaakinen, J. R., Coehlo, D. P., Steele, R., & Robinson, M. (2018). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research. FA Davis.
Moreira, L. V., DeSouza, M. L., & Guerra, V. M. (2018). Self-perception, empathy, and moral self-concept predict moral concerns in adults. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 28.