Family Assessment
Family Assessment
Introduction
Being the vital issue of the current US policy, public health nursing practice integrates with numerous sectors of the system comprising interpersonal, organizational, community, and public health factors. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2011, p.188). Nursing policy focuses on the family regarding it as a social unit where each member has their own needs and requirements. The effective family assessment plays a crucial role in further development of the field, evaluating the essence of challenges and the possible ways of their solving (Ghanbaripanah & Sharuf, 2012, p.32). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the needs of a family in the health field to improve its nursing service.
Home Environmental Assessment
The Vishnevskys is the family under control living in Johnson Ave in Silver Spring, MD. Two adults have permanent jobs allowing them to keep their children, themselves, and their household in the proper way. The family consists of two parents and two children, a boy and a girl, and possesses their own three-room apartment enjoying a rather stable status. The children have separated own rooms, properly designed and furnished. Their home is located in a nice place with a good public transportation and a local market nearby. However, the nurse notifies several issues that are to be improved. The windows of the girls room face a dirty and noisy avenue. When they are open, the buzzing sounds may be heard; besides, the dust enters the childs room. Moreover, the boys study was a bit stuffy. After discussing these moments, the parents promised to solve these inconveniences.
Emergency Preparedness
Federal Emergency Management Agency publishes the requirements for preparedness to various natural and technological hazards and terrorism, such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms and lightning, winter storms and extreme cold, household chemical emergencies, and others (FEMA, 2016, p.5). Having their own car, the Vishnevskys have the opportunity to escape troubles in many emergency cases described by FEMA. The family keeps the first aid kit and an emergency bag, comprising drinking water, some food of long storage, a radio, batteries for catching the information, and mobile phones, corresponding to the requirements of FEMA. However, the Vishnevskys do not have a developed emergency plan proscribing their actions and the route of escape in the above-mentioned cases.
Family Assessment
The Vishnevskys family consists of four members, including two parents, aged 36 and 28, and two children of 4 and 9 years old. This family belongs to the typical nuclear type that includes both father and mother and their children living as a social unit.
The father, Paul, works as a computer programmer. Working from the early morning until the late night, he does not keep the healthy lifestyle because he does not have proper sleeping and the healthy diet. As a result, the father suffers from hypertension. Moreover, Paul escapes the annual medical check-up despite wifes numerous requests.
Kira, Pauls 28-year-old wife, is an attractive and healthy woman. She works as a designer combining her professional duties with household chores. Nevertheless, Kira looks rather exhausted because her small children need a great deal of her time and attention. Therefore, the woman cannot find the necessary time for relaxing and keeping her health in the proper way.
Family Functions
The Vyshnevskys family can be recognized a functional family because it performs all the essential and non-essential family functions. There is a stable partnership between Paul and Kira who grow and educate their two children. They possess a house and keep common household. The parents socialize their children, follow their native cultural customs and develop common traditions. All the members of the family take care of one another. Moreover, due attention is paid to common entertainment. Therefore, this family is functional.
Family Theories
There are several basic family theories, such as Family developmental and life cycle, Family systems, and Bioecological systems theories (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 42).
According to the Family developmental and life cycle theory, the age of the eldest child plays the crucial role in the developmental period of functioning of the family as a social unit. The eldest son, Robert, is nine, being at the very difficult age when a child is growing and becomes a teenager with naughty behavior. Roberts conduct demonstrates some specific features such as seeking his personal independence and autonomy. However, his parents do their best to facilitate the negative traits encouraging their son to take active part in their family life, for example, in traditional excursions on weekends, taking care of his little sister, and helping his mother in doing household chores.
According to the Family systems theory, the key issue under control is the function of the family as the system whose members influence one another. The nurse states that the Vishnevskys produce the impression of a close-knit family with the effective interaction between parents and children. To illustrate, Jane, aged 4, is of pre-school age. She stays in the kindergarten while her parents are working. In the evening, her brother Robert takes the girl home. After work and on weekends, all her familys love and care is focused on Jane. The girl likes drawing, singing, and dancing. Jane looks like a happy and healthy child. Jane, as well as Robert, is dependent on other members of the family. However, the children are the source of happiness for their close people.
Bioecological systems theory deals with the surroundings the family lives in. The nurse states that bioecological environment of the Vishnevskys is favorable. There is a school and a kindergarten in their district; therefore, the children have all the opportunities to develop themselves in a good cultural sector. The neighbors of the family are pleasant and quiet people. Moreover, many of them have children of Jane and Roberts age, who may be good friends for the children. In the neighborhood, there is a church where the family goes on Sundays. Therefore, the Vishnevskys live in a nice bioecological system.
Family Strength
The nurse draws attention to several strengths of the Vishnevskys such as caring, deep commitment, effective communication, respect, privacy, and rich cultural traditions. All the members of the family support each other in their everyday life. The father works hard to provide the decent material status for his close people. Despite her fatigue at work, the mother cooks, cleans the apartment, and takes care of her children and husband. Robert takes care of his little sister playing with her and taking the girl from the kindergarten. Jane helps her mother wash the dishes and cleans her room. Therefore, the Vishnevskys get the high degree for their caring.
The Vishnevskys came to the country from Poland. Living in the USA, they communicate with people from the Polish community and go to church on Sunday. The nurse highly evaluates the deep community. The degree of respect and privacy is favorable because all the members of the family pay the due attention to the needs and requirements of each other.
Besides, the Vishnevskys observe cultural traditions, both American and Polish. The children speak English and Polish at home, go to the church, and celebrate numerous national holidays. Therefore, this sector gets a good mark as well.
Family Needs
The nurse admits that there are several family needs requiring improvement. They are the unhealthy working schedule of the both parents, the wrong diet of the father, the air and noise conditions in the childrens rooms, and the absence of the personal emergency plan.
Working hard, Paul will deteriorate his health that would have numerous negative consequences for his family, both moral and material. On the other way, Kira works long hours as well, paying less attention to herself and her family. The adults after discussing the current state of affairs might decide to ask some person to help with their household chores or to work less. Additionally, Paul is expected to change his attitude towards his health and eat regularly, both for his and his familys sake.
Parents are to pay due attention to the living conditions in their childrens dwelling because the lack of fresh air and the noise from outside may have a negative effect on Robert and Jane. Finally, the emergency plan is to be created to help the family escape numerous problems and hazards in the future.
Interventions
The Vishnevskys may require certain interventions. First, the personal emergency plan is to be developed and approved. Taking into account the possibility of various natural and technological hazards, the family with small children must discuss and solve the problem of their personal safety. The routes of escaping in cases of emergency are to be described in details. The family has a car, but its members would not be able to escape in the state of panic unless all the negative details are discussed. FEMA local agencies would provide the necessary consulting on this matter. Second, Paul is to undergo the obligatory medical check-up. According to the nurses statement, the man looks rather exhausted; this requires the urgent intervention regardless his permanent refusal. Addressing the local authorities would help him solve this issue.
Conclusion
Taking into account all the above-mentioned information, the Vishnevskys can be recognized as a functional and effective family. All the members of the family are friendly and supportive, creating a favourable atmosphere for communication and interaction inside the family as the system. The outside environment is advantageous as well. Polite neighbours, good infrastructure in the district are supportive. The issues to be improved concern the family members self-discipline and their personal safety that can be easily improved. Therefore, the assessment of the Vishnevskys is positive.