Family in Contemporary Society and Healthcare

Running head: FAMILY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND HEALTHCARE
FAMILY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND HEALTHCARE
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1FAMILY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCEITY AND HEALTHCARE
Introduction
Positive health outcomes in patients are not only a result of pharmacological
interventions but are also dependent on social and emotional factors intricately associated with
the wellbeing of the concerned individual (Hamilton and Carr 2016). The following paper will
hence demonstrate on the importance of family in contemporary patient care and society and the
role of the nurse in implementing a family strengths based framework in relation to providing
optimum healthcare.
Discussion
Family in Contemporary Society
Traditionally, family was merely recognized as a group of individuals related to each
other by blood, and comprising primarily of a married woman and man, their children and in
some circumstances, their grandparents or grand children. At present, it has been recognized that
an individual’s family plays an essential role in ensuring his or her wellbeing and positive
physiological and psychological wellbeing and is more than just a collective group of related
individuals (Tint and Weiss 2016). Traditionally, it was further believed that with family, a
person’s basic needs of clothing, shelter and food are met for everyday survival. In contemporary
society however, an individual’s family is more than just a supplier of financial, food or shelter
resources - family instills feelings of belongingness, wellbeing and emotional security in
individuals by allowing to them to feel secured, safe, empathized and cared for (Reinares et al.
2016).

2FAMILY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCEITY AND HEALTHCARE
The role of family in ensuring one’s wellbeing is clearly evident in families where family
members take active part in ensuring that the patient receives optimum care, treatment and
recovery and not just tend to his or her basic needs. Additionally, the role of family is further
demonstrated by a sense of eagerness in family members to understand the meaning behind the
patient, diagnosis and current status of health and disease.
Family Strengths Framework
A strengths based framework is not a new concept in contemporary healthcare and
highlights the role of protective factors in hastening the recovery of the patient. While a strengths
based framework demonstrates a person centered approach to healthcare, a family strengths
framework, similarly highlights the importance of family centeredness in healthcare. A strengths
based framework implies an assessment of the protective factors present in a family which
contribute to wellbeing and positive functioning across all members of the household (Flacks and
Boynton-Jarrett 2018).
Considering the same, while conducting a family strengths framework or assessment by a
health professional or nurse, the key factors which can be assessed are: presence of interpersonal,
positive communication, times of togetherness, prevalence of commitment by all members, the
capability of coping with challenging situations collectively by the entire household and the
presence of a sense of collective wellbeing across physiological, psychological, emotional and
social levels (Clark 2017).
Taking example of the application of family strengths framework on a family – The
presence of concern from the family members with regards the patient’s condition, implies a a
strong sense of togetherness and belongingness. A strong sense of commitment can further be