family assessment part II

FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT 2

Madison’s family was chosen for the assessment participation due to their willingness and friends who were ready to consent. it is vital to consider the asked questions while conducting the interview are very invasive since the family is required to discuss their private issues regarding the health matters that members of the family have encountered. (Edelman, 2015) The family has a husband, wife, and two sons, eight and fifteen years, respectively. It is a Christian low social class African-American family; thus, the parents have to work harder to support their family well.

Questions regarding the perception of health, in this case, helped foster understanding of the notion and impression of the family members regarding their health. Madison's wife indicated that she had been diagnosed with tuberculosis but stipulates that she is still keeping in touch with her physician for a close check-up and monitoring her condition. Madison himself has blood pressure and has issues with his weight while their two sons are healthy with no health issues but go for a monthly check-up to maintain their health. The whole family also undergoes health check-ups yearly to improve their health statuses and majorly protect foreseeable health complications from their sons.

The family's diet majorly comprises vegetables and fruits despite their emphasis on taking the foods rich in fats majorly for health benefits. Eating healthy about their meals a day and snacks has fostered their health by incorporating the meals rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins. They also indicated that they consume about 1400-1900 calories in a day with access to a balanced diet, and Madison also takes out the whole family to eat at the restaurants. Madison and the fifteen-year-old son reported constipation problems, although they maintained that they had increased fiber and water intake levels. The young daughter indicates the restroom's use late at night while the family is suggesting that at night they urinate more than daytime; thus, no health problems affect their bladder and bowel.

Moreover, the family indicated that everyone obtains at least 8 hours of sleep at night while Madison's wife stipulates that everyone sleeps early at around 9 pm to have enough time to sleep and rest toto wake up from 5-6 am6 am the next morning. During weekends, they might go to bed late but not past 10 pm since no factors prevent them from having enough sleep; thus, the family indicates regular sleep patterns.

Nevertheless, various barriers that hinder the family members from accessing healthcare incorporates; high costs of care - it stipulates the ratio of spending out of pocket by the family for the healthcare premiums and services in medical care. (Edelman, 2015) Lack of health insurance and high medical care costs for Madison and his wife that are not covered by health insurance leads to financial problems, bankruptcy, and debts. Therefore, it has dramatically affected the patient’s quality of life and access to proper medical care. For instance, the family takes a prescription of medicine and avoids going to the doctor to save money.

Secondly, the lack of services is due to a lack of proper coverage; it is, therefore, difficult for the family to get the needed healthcare. In situations where they don't get adequate healthcare, it leads to the burdens on the medical bills, showing the family having low health status, especially for those taking close healthcare with the health professionals, thus likely receiving less medical care. (Weber, 2015) Thirdly, the father being unemployed, the mother spends most of the money she earns on her family, thus limiting them from accessing proper health care services necessary for quality health. With Mrs. Madison lacking adequate knowledge of health matters, it has led to inactivity, which is another barrier to health. It has led to the parents, notably discussing the sexuality issue with their children due to the father being against the culture discussing the sexual matter with the children. Therefore the two sons lack knowledge in the matters of sexuality.

The concept of the family developed by Bowen is applied to Madison’s family to provide solutions to various issues. In consideration of Bowen, a family comprises a structure that incorporates different interconnected elements and stipulates that the issues can be resolved through family systems therapy. Therefore, it is believed that emotions spread from one person to another and affect all the family members. If therefore left unattended to, over time, the issue might lead to more severe problems, thus well explained in the Bowens triangles concept that stipulates conflict on side and harmony on the other side. (Moss et al. 2016) For instance, in Madison's family, the parents are affected, and the issue should be handled before it spreads to the children.

In summary, the functional health patterns lead to the opening up of many questions necessary in retrieving data needed for the development of wellness and diagnosis. Therefore, the assessed functions delve deeper into the family and bring out the answers health specialists will not have retrieved if she only conducts a physical assessment. With the employment of Bowen's theory, it stipulates the interconnected elements of a family or individuals holistically with the Bowen tringle concept.

References

Edelman, C.L., Eudzma, E.C., & Mandle. C.L. (2015). Health Promotion Throughout the Life

Span (7th ed.). Evolve Mosby St.Louis

Weber, J. (2015) Nurses Handbook of Health Assessment. (5th ed.) Retrieved from:

https://books.google.com/books?id=rdw8U70rpN0C&pg

Moss, JR; Sullivan, TR; Newton, SS; Stocks, NP (Jan 2016). "Effectiveness of general practice-

based health checks: a systematic review and meta-analysis". The British Journal of

General Practice. 64 (618): e47-53. doi:10.3399/bjgp14x676456. PMC 3876170. PMID

24567582.

Appendix

Questions for the questionnaire

Values/health perception

I. Is your family healthy?

II. Which health element do you consider essential?

III. What does the family do necessary for improving and maintaining health?

Nutrition

I. What kind of meals does the family love eating?

II. How often does the family take a balanced diet?

Sleep/rest

I. How many hours do the family members rest at night?

II. What are the habits of sleeping?

Elimination

I. Does the family have problems with elimination?

II. What is the diet of elimination, and how is it handled?

Activity/exercise

I. Which physical activities do the family members engage in?

II. What are types of exercises do they do?

Cognitive

I. What are the qualifications in academics of each member of the family?

II. Do you have any access to healthcare information?

Sensory-perception

I. Do you have anyone in the family with complications of sensory perception?

II. If yes, how does the sensory perception affect the person?

Self-perception

I. How does the family feel in the current state?

II. Does the family engage in the activities necessary for escaping its reality?

Role relationship

I. What is the family’s role relationship pattern?

II. What are the expectations of all the members of the family?

Sexuality

I. Do the parents talk to their children about issues regarding sex?

II. Are you struggling with gender awareness and making decisions?

Coping

I. What are the family's coping strategies?

II. Which useful coping techniques have you employed?