The Family and Their Health
The family is made up of a father (47 years old), a mother (40 years old), and four children, two boys (17 and 11 years old) and two girls (6 and 5 years). Everyone in the family is in good health. The eleven-year-old child was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of three, and OCD at the age of six. An overall health assessment of the entire family is beneficial in developing a family diagnosis. It aids in determining the mental performance of the household and provides a structure for intervention by providing the necessary information about family members and their responsibilities and interactions (Bonewit-West, 2011). The following is a summary of findings of a family health assessment for the above family.
Summaries of Functional Patterns
Health Perception, Values
On the pattern of Health Perception, the family gives themselves a score of 7 out of 10.Their score was the same 7 years ago. There is no use of smoke, alcohol or any drugs in the family. The father inherited a genetic disorder called thalassemia from his father. The disease was passed on to the 6 year old daughter who was diagnosed at one year when her hemoglobin reduced. The mother enjoys good health although she suffers from slight gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) ingests protonix daily. The individuals occasionally participate in exercise activities like camping, biking, and hiking. The family owns an elliptical which the parents use almost thrice a week for more than 30 minutes at a go. The family does not practice any religion but they, prefer doing things right and being good people. The most valuable thing to everyone is family.
Nutrition
The Family tries to consume a healthy diet daily comprising of high fiber, and low sodium/fat. They also eat white bread and whole wheat bread. The father often bakes or boils meat and fish. The family drinks juice moderately and consume plenty of water. The father takes his role as the primary food person in preparing meals and makes sure that the family's diet is healthy. The children love consuming vegetables. To make French fries, the family prefers to use yams because they are healthier than potatoes. Overall, everyone in the family has a healthy appetite, and none of them has displayed differences in nail texture, body weight, hair or skin. Nonetheless, the father's weight has been dropping following the loss of his job. He mostly spends time looking after the children. He wants to lose more weight. The mother's BMI is 22.6 she has reached an appropriate body weight. According to the pediatrician, the children's weight is appropriate.
Rest/Sleep
The quantity and quality of sleep appears to be enough for the family as the children have a pattern for sleep. The parents' sleep last for almost 7 hours while the children sleep for almost 10 hours daily. However, the mother's sleep is not quality because she works on alternate shifts in her nursing job. This pattern sometimes does not allow her to rest adequately particularly when she is required to do housework the following day.
Elimination
The routine of elimination is different for every family member. The father's bowel movement occurs regularly every morning following breakfast. The six year old daughter and her mother usually experience constipation while the rest of the children have one bowel movement daily. No voiding has been noticed recently. The urine which is yellow is clear and has no sediments. Family members use laxatives only on occasional times, especially after a long car trip or plane trip.
Exercise/Activity
The family's exercise routine is not regular however their lifestyle is active. The family engages in activities such as biking, camping, hiking and swimming. The parents use an elliptical to exercise. The children engage in various sports such as baseball, basketball and soccer in school. They also engage in other games like guitar lessons, piano, dance and karate. Additional .The family engages in other activities such as playing video games and watching television but these are regarded as rewards.
Cognitive Perception
All the family members do not have any degenerative and oncologic neurologic disorders, neuropathies, autoimmune disorders, urologic infections or cerebrovascular disorders. The father is reported to frequently experience joint/muscle pain which he uses heat or cold applications to relieve.
Sensory Perception
Everyone in the family has no challenges of sensory abilities of depth, hearing, sound and visual color discrimination. Their senses of taste, touch, and taste are also in order. The 11-year-old son, daughters and the mother have eye disorders. Their mother has a short-eyesight while the son astigmatism is long-sighted and has a left lazy eye. The daughters have long-sights. The father had a laser eye surgery six years ago to prevent the need for using glasses even though he appears to experience vision problems occasionally.
Self-Perception
The 11-year-old boy disability has negatively affected his ability to express himself. There are key cues that have indicated altered body language, feelings of powerlessness, low self-esteem and identity confusion. He has been getting treatment for his condition but he still needs more help. Members of the family regard themselves as capable of adjusting to changes like loss of income and employment. They know the health risks that can result from failure to adjust.
Role-Relationship
On the pattern of roles and relationships, members of the family reported that the mother is the key breadwinner while the father is the caregiver. Certain issues like loss, actual change, and threat to change are problems that can result in stress particularly for the mother who needs to combine both family and work roles.
Sexuality
It is reported that the mother had only 4 births out of 8 pregnancies. The parents do not reveal any problems in sexual functioning. They describe their sexual relationship as satisfactory. They reported that their two sons receive sex education in school but they also discuss with them at home. The boys have been sensitized on the significance of appropriate testicular self-examination.
Coping
On the issue of coping, the family revealed that they took some years before they learned how to effectively manage stress. The strategies of coping often employed by the family include working, taking time off, interacting with close family members or spending time with friends. The family is aware that stress cannot be avoided in life. According to the mother stress becomes challenging when stress tolerance is weak impacting an individual's daily activities.
Wellness Problems Identified
Based on the assessment performed, the family's current health status is good. However, the family indicated to be experiencing particular wellness problems. One of the issues is a likelihood of distracted processes of the family associated with the father's recent loss of employment and mother's busy schedule of family roles, and work which results in deprivation of sleep. Another issue is that of anxiety associated with lack of employment by the father who is presented through difficulty in sleep. In regards to this situation, the father also indicates that he feels useless.
Recommendations
Various strategies for family health promotion can be employed as ways to deal with these wellness issues (Gibson and Keeling, 2014). To address the father's stress due to unemployment, he can seek for assistance in employment agencies to find a job of his qualifications. He could also find himself a hobby that could offer an opportunity for earning support his wife in providing for the family. A combined effort by mother and father can ease the burden on the mother and provide her with more time to rest.
References
Bonewit-West, K. (2011). Study guide for Clinical procedures for medical assistants. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders.
Gibson, M., & Keeling, A. (2014). Shaping Family and Community Health. Family & Community Health, 37(3), 168-169.Retrieved on 18 September 2017 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/fch.0000000000000037
