ANSWER:
Family Health Assessment
Introduction
Family Health Assessment is an extended concept of patient outcome and care. There is strong evidence of link between family behavior and health outcomes of a patient and the same patient members. This paper aims to examine the family structure and style that influence the health care of patients and other family members.
Family Structure
The family structure can be described as members of a household connected by marriage or blood (Jamieson and Grealish). Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert are interracial married couples living in the township of Whitfield in Pennsylvania. The team has been married for seventeen years and together has five children. Mr. Wilbert is a white man working as an electrical engineer in a local car power plant, while Mrs. Wilbert is an African American lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. The eldest child is fifteen years old girl in senior high school. The second born is a boy of thirteen years, a member of his school soccer team. The third born is a seven-year-old girl, followed by a four-year-old boy. The last child is a two-year-old boy. The parents work five days a week during the day. Mrs. flowers are the family nanny who mostly takes care of the two last children during the day.
Findings
The interview questions reveal that Mr. Wilbert and third-born girls are asthmatic. The two take their medication and visit the family doctor regularly to manage the condition. From the information obtained from the questionnaire, Mrs. Wilbert is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with stage one cancer during her regular checkup one year ago. She immediately started treatment of radiotherapy and surgery, and within nine months, she was declared cancer-free. The teenage daughter struggles with weight issues and has been reported to avoiding talking to her parents. According to her mother’s testaments, she has once told her how much she hates her body, but she did not take her seriously since she is still a child, and she will outgrow her baby fat. The other children have no medical complications; however, they occasionally catch flu and other non-serious common diseases.
Application of Family Systems Theory
The family system theory states that the family members have a profound impact on the overall health of an individual and the whole members. All other members’ behaviors contribute to the emotional, physical well-being of an individual (Heron 2015). Asthmatic condition is genetic susceptibility. The third-born girl is asthmatic because her father also has the same condition. The situation, however, can be managed by proper medications. Poor eating habits contribute to the weight gain of the teenage daughter. The girl stated that her parents are too busy for her and only concentrate on the younger children. The questionnaires revealed that the adolescent girl finds comfort in food and eats to reduce her psychological problems.
Conclusion
Individual health depends on the value, practice, and relation of a family. A good family foundation and courses improve the health well-being of an individual. Family activities and actions determine the health consequences of an individual. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert are overwhelmed by their work schedule and the younger children and forget their firstborn child. The adolescent girl finds refuge in food which is an unhealthy practice that leaves her overweight.
Reference
Heron, C. M. (2015). Self-regulated learning: the role of motivation, emotion, and learning strategies in students’ learning experiences in a self-paced online mathematics course. Distance learning, 36(1), 80-99.
Jamieson, M., & Grealish, L. (2016). Cooperative working in aged care: The cooperative for healthy aging research and teaching project. Australasian Journal on Ageing.
APPENDIX
Family Healthcare Questionnaire
| Values/ Health Perception | |
| 1. Describe your family values? | |
| 2. Is health a priority in your family? | |
| 3. What are the physical activities you engage in as a family? |
| Nutrition | |
| 1. In your own words, describe a nutritious meal? | |
| 2. What is your family’s daily nutritional intake? | |
| 3. Is there a history of food deficiency disease in your family? |
| Sleep Rest | |
| 1. At what time do you and your family sleep and wake up? | |
| 2. Do you take any medication, drugs or alcohol to sleep? | |
| 3. How many hours do you sleep in a day? |
| Elimination | |
| 1. Is there a family member with excretion or bladder problem? | |
| 2. How many children in the family are undertaking toilet training? | |
| 3. Is there a history of medical complication in your family? |
| Physical Activity | |
| 1. How frequent do you and your family members engage in physical exercise? | |
| 2. What are some of the forms of exercise do your family take part of? | |
| 3. How does your family ensure that members maintain a healthy physical shape? |
| Cognitive | |
| 1. How informed is your family about the health maintenance? | |
| 2. Do you or any member of your family have difficulty in concentration? | |
| 3. Do your family members have difficulty in making decisions? |
| Sensory Perception | |
| 1. Is there a family member who is visually impaired? | |
| 2. Is there a history of clinical depression in your family? | |
| 3. What do you see your family in five years? |
| Role Relationship | |
| 1. Who is the head of the family? | |
| 2. Do other members opinions and ideas take into consideration during implementation? | |
| 3. Is there a stable relationship among all members of the family? |
| Sexuality | |
| Are you sexually active? | |
| How many members of your family are sexually active? | |
| Have you ever been treated for sexually transmitted diseases? |
| Coping | |
| Does anyone in the family suffer from stress? | |
| How does your family handle stress and stressful situations? | |
| Is anyone addicted to alcohol, drugs, or any other form of medication? |
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QUESTION:
Understanding family structure and style is essential to patient and family care. Conducting a family interview and needs assessment gathers information to identify strengths, as well as potential barriers to health. This information ultimately helps develop family-centered strategies for support and guidance.
This family health assessment is a two-part assignment. The information you gather in this initial assignment will be utilized for the second assignment in Topic 3.
Develop an interview questionnaire to be used in a family-focused functional assessment. The questionnaire must include three open-ended, family-focused questions to assess functional health patterns for each of the following:
Values/Health Perception
Nutrition
Sleep/Rest
Elimination
Activity/Exercise
Cognitive
Sensory-Perception
Self-Perception
Role Relationship
Sexuality
Coping
Select a family, other than your own, and seek permission from the family to conduct an interview. Utilize the interview questions complied in your interview questionnaire to conduct a family-focused functional assessment. Document the responses as you conduct the interview.
Upon completion of the interview, write a 750-1,000-word paper. Analyze your assessment findings. Submit your questionnaire as an appendix with your assignment.
Include the following in your paper:
Describe the family structure. Include individuals and any relevant attributes defining the family composition, race/ethnicity, social class, spirituality, and environment.
Summarize the overall health behaviors of the family. Describe the current health of the family.
Based on your findings, describe at least two of the functional health pattern strengths noted in the findings. Discuss three areas in which health problems or barriers to health were identified.
Describe how family systems theory can be applied to solicit changes in family members that, in turn, initiate positive changes to the overall family functions over time.
Cite at least three peer-reviewed or scholarly sources to complete this assignment. Sources should be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
