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Family Assessment

Tania Machin Triguero

St. Thomas University

NUR-420-AP4 Community Health Nursing

Professor Cassandre Milien

April 11, 2021

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Abstract

This paper used Gordon’s functional health patterns model to evaluate a selected family's

health patterns to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The paper also utilizes the family

systems theory to propose different ways for the selected family to improve their health status.

The family chosen for this interview was a family friend, consent was obtained before starting

the interview, and they agreed to discuss and share their health issues. No names were used for

confidentiality and privacy purposes during this interview since some questions were very

personal.

Keywords: health, assessment, lifestyle

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Family Assessment

This family has five members who were all present during the interview. The father, Mr.,

is a 53-year-old male and is the head of the household and the decision-maker of the family. The

mother, Mrs. C, is a 48-year-old woman and is a housewife who helped the children complete

their homework, cooked dinner, and did chores around the house. They have three teenage

daughters A is the oldest and is 15 years old, the middle daughter is D and is 12 years old and the

youngest is V and is 9 years old. Mr. A’s parents are retired and still alive, the mother was a

professor and the father worked in a factory. Mrs. C’s parents unfortunately passed away more

than 5 years ago. The family was of African American descent, and they were a middle-class

living in a single-family residence. They were practicing Roman Catholics.

Health Behaviors of the Family.

Following the steps of Türen & Enç (2020) I used in this interview targeted to look into

the impact of application of Gordon's functional health pattern model’ question. The family was

asked about their health perception, and they were asked whether they observed any health-

related values. The parents said that their family was healthy, and they usually follow

professional advice from their doctors whenever they had any medical related issues. They

believed that it was better to prevent illnesses rather than treat them. This value made them strive

to live healthy lifestyles.

Nutritionally, the family said that they ate a balanced diet, and they always checked on

the nutritional stats of the food products they purchased. They also added that they ate snacks

every day including soft drinks, cookies, and French fries. Regarding sleep, the family had an

average of six-hour sleep cycles since the parents were quite busy during the day. The children

spent most of their time interacting with their friends and playing video games. All members of
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this family stated they had regular bowel movements with no frequent diarrhea or constipation.

The three teenagers stated that they did not frequently urinate, with as low as three times a day.

The only exercise-related activity the family did was swimming which only happened

one weekend per month. All members of the family had clear cognition and were never

confused. Their senses were intact. The father and the mother wore glasses due to being near-

sighted. They were satisfied with how their life was and had a bright future ahead of them. They

revealed that they had a healthy marriage, and they addressed issues by having an open

communication policy with their children. This presented a united front. The parents had sex at

least three times a week and reported having a healthy sex life and sexual function. The parents

dealt with stress by participating in leisure activities, including traveling, socializing with

friends, and seeking moral support from their extended family.

Functional Health Pattern Strengths.

The functional health pattern strengths noted throughout this assessment were that the

family ate healthy meals and a balanced diet that consisted of essential nutritional elements. This

family also checked the nutritional values of the food products they bought. Finally, this family

followed the advice given by medical professionals, which enabled them to lead a healthy

lifestyle and increased their chances of improving their health status.

Health Problems and Barriers to Health.

During the interview, there were three barriers to help this family that were noted. The

first one was the lack of sleep by the family members. The parents had to wake up early since

they had busy schedules during the day. The father is an accountant while the mother was a full-

time housewife. The teenagers, on the other time, spent time at night playing computer games

rather than sleeping. In research from Suni (2020) these unhealthy sleeping patterns can affect
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the family’s immunity and predispose them to many types of diseases. Mr. A’s mother has

personal history of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension and the father has personal history of

COPD and Hypertension. Mrs. C’s parents unfortunately passed away more than 5 years, the

father had a heart attack and the mother died in an accident.

This family also led a sedentary lifestyle. They were rarely involved in any exercise-

related activities. They mostly stayed indoors and ate snacks. This can put the family in danger

of gaining weight, leading to obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular-related diseases (Health

Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle, 2017). The final health barrier this family has to their health is the

challenge of elimination. Two of the teenagers have issues with frequent urination. They urinate

less than three times a day. This can be dangerous since it can lead to complications of the ureter,

kidney and developing urinary tract infections.

Nurses have an essential role to play during a family assessment. However, this

assessment might be complex because it takes place in the families' environment, and hence the

nurse might feel like a stranger to the family. The nurse must communicate in a friendly and

professional manner to enable the family members to open up so that she can be able to gather

information and the healthy or unhealthy status of the family selected for the interview.
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Genogram
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Ecomap
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References

Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle. (2017). Medline Plus.

https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html.

Suni, E. (2020). Sleep & Immunity: Can a Lack of Sleep Make You Sick? Sleep Foundation.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/how-sleep-affects-immunity.

Türen, S., & Enç, N. (2020). A comparison of Gordon’s functional health patterns model and

standard nursing care in symptomatic heart failure patients: A randomized controlled

trial. Applied Nursing Research, 53, 151247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2020.151247.