A family assessment is used to provide an analysis of the structure, composition, relationship, and operation of a family. The family unit is made of various individuals where each has a clearly defined role in the family. This paper involves a family assessment of Jack who is married to Olivia. The names of the family members that were chosen in the community have been changed to ensure confidentiality.
Family Composition
The composition of the family is of Jack, a 37-year-old that is married to Olivia who is 34 years old. The two have a son called Harry who is 9 years old. The family also lives with Jack’s mother, Sophia who is 67 years old. Jack is from a descent of a native American family. The paternal grandfather of Jack was a native American and he believes that he has native blood in him. Olivia is a white from European descent making Harry’s race white.
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Roles of Each Family Member
The roles of the different family members in Jack’s family is not clearly defined. Jack and Olivia share several roles and responsibilities within the family. Jack identifies as the head of the family. Both Jack and Olivia can be considered as the primary providers of the family. The two have a stable job which they support the family. There is no other provider within the family.
Existing Physical or Psychological Conditions
Jack has been suffering from lung cancer for some time and is on the path to recovery. The illness of Jack has drained his energy and he rarely participates in any work at home. He had to take a sick leave from work in order to realize a full health recovery. Jack has been receiving his paycheck and his illness has not affected the family’s income.
Environment
From the interview, Jack describes the family’s social class as the upper middle class. Jack works as a software engineer and is employed in one of the leading software companies. Olivia works as a fashion designer in a leading online fashion store. The family lives in a decent home which they purchased approximately two years ago. They live in an urban center where Jack can get access to treatment facilities.
Accomplishment of Age-Appropriate Tasks
The age development stages can be divided into stages that include infancy, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle age, and later life (Arnett & Tanner, 2016). The four family members that have been identified are in the different stages and all fulfill their tasks. Harry is at middle childhood and the main role is the development of the physical and social world as he provides emotional support for the family. Jack and Olivia are in their early adulthood and are learning to live with a mate and providing for the psychological and financial needs of their child. Sophia is at the later life development stage and meets the social and emotional help of the family.
Stresses in the Family
There are no stresses in the family due to the development states. However, there are responsibilities for Harry, their son, and Sophia, Jack’s mother. Harry needs full financial assistance and is fully dependent on their parents while Sophia has been suffering from arthritis and has been moving in and out of the hospital.
Development Stage
The family can be described to be in the third life cycle. The different stages in the family life cycle include home leaving, marriage, families that have children, families with adolescents, and exit from the family system (Olson & Lavee, 2013). Jack’s family is at the third stage where they have children. Jack has played a good role in the current development tasks and the previous ones due to his financial strength and being responsible.
Medical History
The medical history of the family shows that there have been other cases of lung cancer, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease. Jack’s paternal grandfather passed away from lung cancer. There have been several incidences of breast cancer in the extended family such as one identified in Jack’s aunt. The family has a history of smoking that increases the risk of cancer.
Immunization Status
All the members of the family have been immunized and their immunization and vaccinations are up to date. The family’s immunization status include DTaP, Hep A, Hep B, Hib, HPV, Influenza, MMR, Meningococcal, Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussisand Varicella (Bach & Goad, 2015).
Health Problems
The two members of the family that have been identified with health problems are Jack and Sophia, Jack’s mother. Jack is recovering from lung cancer while Sophia has had problems with arthritis and is undergoing treatment.
Hospital Admission
Jack was admitted in the past when undergoing treatment. Other family members were supportive and understanding of the situation. Sophia has also received adequate support from the family as she was once admitted to an elderly care facility.
Communication Modes in the Family
The family engages in verbal communication and this has been effective for the family. Jack and Olivia communicate quite frequently and this builds trust and bonding between them (Waisbord, 2018). Jack, Olivia, and Sophia communicate and this is important for Jack and Sophia to find the required help. Harry is a highly active child and keeps the family in constant communication and activity.
Decision-Making
The decision-making process in the family is through a unified decision from key members of the family. Jack and Olivia are the key decision makers and they take advice from Sophia regarding various decisions. For any critical decision to be made, all the three key family members have to participate.
Evidence of Violence
There is no evidence of violence in the family. Jack and Olivia show a high degree of respect for each other. They understand conflict resolution and no one can resort to violence.
Dealing with Crisis
The family has shown that they can adequately deal with the crisis. In the past, the diagnosis of lung cancer in the family created a significant amount of panic and crisis in the family. However, Jack and Olivia had already had a significant amount of savings and received additional support from their health care insurance plan that enabled them to deal with the crisis effectively.
Cultural and Religious Factors Affecting Family Health and Social Status
The family has a religious background and they believe that God protects them. They believe that God is continually providing healing and comfort even in their difficult situation and illness with Jack and Sophia. They believe that their social status and financial ability is God-given.
Family Goals
The current family goal is to ensure a complete recovery for Jack. They plan to give the best education to their son.
External Sources of Support
Jack is a highly social individual that has a large support group. Brian is Jack’s closest cousin who spends most of his free time with Jack. Jack has received help and emotional support from most of his friends.
Evidence of Role Conflict and Role Overload
Role conflict is used to define conflicts in social roles while role overload defines whether one of the family members has been strained by too many responsibilities (Creary & Gordon, 2016). There is no evidence of role conflict in the family as the members have a well-defined social role within the family. Role overload has occurred due to Jack’s sickness and Olivia has to perform various activities like taking care of all family members which has proved hectic.
Emergency Plan and Crisis
The family has an emergency plan to be able to deal with any form of crisis. They have significant savings and all members of the family are covered with a proper health insurance plan.
Nursing Diagnosis and Plan of Care
One diagnosis is that Jack is suffering from lung cancer and is facing emotional challenges due to stress in difficult times. The second diagnosis is that Sophia has been going through a difficult time as she tries to support Jack and Sophia. The third diagnosis is that of Sophia who is suffering from arthritis. The plan of care is that as Jack recovers, he should start engaging in family roles in order to support Sophia. Additionally, the family needs to have a dedicated nurse or another assistant that can support Sophia and Jack on a daily basis.
References
Arnett, J. J., & Tanner, J. L. (2016). The emergence of emerging adulthood: The new life stage between adolescence and young adulthood. In Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood (pp. 50-56). Routledge.
Bach, A. T., & Goad, J. A. (2015). The role of community pharmacy-based vaccination in the USA: current practice and future directions. Integrated pharmacy research & practice , 4 , 67.
Creary, S. J., & Gordon, J. R. (2016). Role conflict, role overload, and role strain. Encyclopedia of Family Studies , 1-6.
Olson, D. H., & Lavee, Y. (2013). Family systems and family stress: A family life cycle. Family systems and life-span development , 165-196.
Waisbord, S. (2018). Family tree of theories, methodologies, and strategies in development communication. Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change , 1-40.
