Family Assessment and Nursing Diagnoses - Essay Example

Family Assessment and Nursing Diagnoses Family Assessment and Nursing Diagnoses The family of Mr. Jacobs was randomly selectedfor the family assessment case study. This is a nuclear family consisting of the father, the son and his daughter. The mother to these two kids had passed away three years ago. Jacobs works in a nearby farm to provide for his family. A questionnaire was created for the sake of family wellness and other nursing diagnoses. The questionnaire comprised of various nursing diagnoses that Mr. Jacobs and his answered appropriately. After the successful completion of the interview, a report was compiled and analyzed for the presentation. Below are the responses and analysis of the nursing diagnoses that was carried out on the family Value/belief-this family’s greatest value was the health of its members. According to Mr. Jacobs, nothing matters in this life like the good health of his kids. The second value was education. For this matter, Jacobs made sure that his children went to school. He wanted these kids to have a bright future, I suppose. The family also had a strong belief in their religion. They never miss a single church service. Analytically, the morals of this family were shaped by their religious beliefs. Health perception- this family perceived health and life as a God given gift. Jacobs argued that good and bad health is determined by God. However, he admitted that one had to take good care of his health. He answered that the main cause of health problems was poor eating habits and bad lifestyle. When asked how his culture had influenced his perception on health, he said that his conservative nature had helped him avoid the modern lifestyle that lead to many diseases such as obesity. He argued that doctors cannot provide effective treatment without the help of God. Nutrition- Jacobs mentioned whole grain rice as the main staple food in the community and as the family’s favorite. He had raised the kids with this particular food. On the question of food quantity, he said that they were eating just enough. No meals were skipped. However, the daughter does not like to finish up her food from the plate. Rice was not the only meal in the family. They balance it with some red meat and potatoes. Sleep/rest- Mr. Jacob had seen and rest as a waste of time. He should be making money somewhere and not snoring at night. Sleeping, to him, was just a normal routine which served no purpose at all. The kids however valued sleep and rest. They enjoyed sleep a lot. The kids, therefore, sleep for longer hours than their father. When asked if any one of them was having hard time sleeping, Jacobs said that he usually finds himself waking up in the middle of the night but this was no big deal to him. Activity/exercise- the main activity of the farmer during the day is to load the many vans at the farm in which he works. This is quite tiresome, he admitted. The kids wake up early to go to school, and when they come back, they do the house chores. Jacobs spends eight hours at work every day. The only exercise he does after job is walking back home in the evening. The children say that they play a lot while in school and this serves as their exercise. Elimination- when Mr. Jacobs was asked how often he and the kids visit the latrines, he said “rarely”. While at work, he only visits the latrine in the morning when he arrives and at lunch time when they have been given a short break. The children, on the other hand, said that they were frequent visitors of the urinals, especially during winter seasons. David his son complained of the occasional constipations. Other than that, there was no any other urinary or bowel problem. Cognitive- the father said he had considerable knowledge and skills to handle different situations. His kids had been taken to school to gain knowledge on various life issues. Jacobs, however, expressed deep fear for his children. He does not want them to emulate bad behavior from their peers. Raising the kids single handedly sometimes give him a lot of stress. Sensory perception- he perceived sensory system of the human being as a natural system for communication. These family members had different capabilities when it comes to the utilization of the senses and learning preference. Jacobs was for the Visual while the kids were for auditory. Self perception- according to his reply and the tone he used, Mr. Jacobs seems to have a very high self esteem. He was very much confident throughout the interview. Angela her daughter was very shy, unlike David who seems to take after his father. However, Jacobs noted that his overconfidence sometimes becomes his weakness. The shyness and low self esteem of Angela was her weakness, she said. The children are always well behaved, the father confirmed. Role/responsibility- Jacobs said that his role as a single parent was to provide for the children. He has to ensure that the children are satisfied both materially and emotionally. The main role of the kids was to respect their dad. They had to assist the father with the house duties too. When Jacobs was asked whether every member of the family had been responsible enough to play the obligatory roles, he said yes. He, however, noted that his son had started to grow horns. Sexuality- the common sexuality pattern in the area was heterosexuality. Most couples were married men and women. The sexuality of preference by Jacobs was heterosexuality. The children knew very little of sexuality. His views on homosexuality were that it should be illegalized and the crime committers be given heavy punishment. This practice was ungodly according to him. Coping- the major hardships and challenges that were identified by Jacobs the single parenthood that he sometimes hard in balancing his time between the family and the job. The children also sometimes miss their dead mother and ask him a lot of questions. He has coped with this situation by working hard to provide for the kids and also show them abundant love. Conclusion The family of Mr. Jacobs is based on religious beliefs that may compete with the scientific theories of nursing. He believes that one’s health is in the able hands of God. However, he has managed to bring up his children with good morals. His family can be said to be a functional family. Reference Vetere A. (2001). Structural Family Therapy: Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 6(3). 136 Leahey M. (1998). Nurses and Families: A Guide to Family Assessment and Intervention. Philadelphia: F. A Davis Co. Cpernito J. (2008). Nursing Diagnosis: Application to Clinical Practice. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Appendix Questionnaire 1. Values What are the family values? Which is the most important value? How do you retain these values? 2. Health perception What are your perceptions on the causes of diseases? Has your culture influenced your health perception? Do you value modern treatment methods? 3. Nutrition What is your staple food? What is the quantity of your food intake? Do you balance your diet? 4. Sleep/rest What is your perception of sleep? For how long do you normally sleep? Do you experience any sleep disorder? 5. Activity/Exercise What are your activities during the day? For how do you work in a day? Do you do regular exercise? 6. Elimination How often do you visit the toilet? Have experienced any constipation? Do you have any urinary complication? 7. Cognitive Do you have any formal knowledge and education? What are your fears? What are your stressors? 8. Self-perception Do you have adequate self esteem? What are your weaknesses? How does your personality affect your behavior? 9. Roles/responsibility What are your roles as a parent? What is the role of the children? Has everyone in the family been responsible? 10. Sexuality What is the common sexuality pattern in this community? What is your preferred sexuality pattern? What is your view on homosexuality? 11. Coping What are your major challenges? How often do you face these challenges? How do cope with such challenges? Read More