Family Health Assessment Findings Report in Nursing

This nursing report presents a family health assessment conducted with Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, utilizing Gordon's functional health patterns to evaluate their family's well-being. The assessment reveals a caring, middle-class joint family with strengths in role relationships and coping patterns. However, ...Read More

Running head: NURSING
Nursing
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

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Family health assessment findings:
A family health assessment was performed for performed with Mr. and Mrs. Daniels.
Family health assessment is a vital activity that gives an overview of the family and help to
determine areas to focus on in order to promote health and wellness for the selected family (Reid
et al., 2017). The interview was conducted with the family using the Gordon’s functional health
patterns. This was essential to evaluate wellness for the family. From the analysis of the
assessment findings, it has been found that that Daniel lives in a joint family where everyone is
caring and concerned about the health and well-being of each family members. This is
understood from the analysis of interview response as Daniel expressed concern for his mother
and wife and he had made plans to make things better for them. They belong to a middle class
family and Daniel’s children have been brought up in a protective environment without any risk
of abuse or threat. Hence, his children are likely to grow up without any risk of aggression.
Evidence suggests that lesser family conflict and more family cohesion result in less chance of
developmental problems in children (Garbarino, 2017). Therefore, taking a cue from the family
environment, it can be said that Daniel’s children are getting right exposure and good
upbringing. Social class and stable social position is also a reason for minimum health issues for
Daniel’s children.
After evaluating Daniel’s interview response using Gordon’s functional patterns, it can be
summarized that apart from Daniel’s daughter, other members of the family are not healthy.
Health issues have been identified for Daniel’s wife and his mother. Daniel’s wife has been
found with a history of depression problems. Although she is not experiencing depressive
symptoms now, however lack of sleep of her wife recently suggest relapse of symptoms. Hence,
relapse of her depressive symptoms can be a threat for the family as parental depression can

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affect parent-child attachment and lead to interpersonal conflict within the family (Ringoot et al.,
2015). Apart from her, health issues have been found for Daniel’s mother too. Both the ailments,
diabetes and osteoarthritis are aging associated diseases for which special care and treatment is
needed. Hence, it is essential that Daniel and his wife maintain good health so that they can
maintain and balance their family functioning.
Apart from the presence of several health issues, the evaluation of the family using the
Gordon’s functional pattern has also resulted depicted two strengths for the family. The two
functional health pattern that is strength for the family is role relationship and the coping pattern.
For example, the interview regarding coping and self-perception with the family revealed that
that head member of the family has a vision for the well-being of his family. Daniel is
responsible and caring person who has future plans to improve the life of all his family members.
He has expressed plans to build their children’s career and also reported about strengthening
personal relationship with his wife. This form of care and compassion can lead to family
engagement and development (Garbacz et al., 2017). Daniel’s plan to cope with life difficulties
also suggest that he is a man with determination who believes in hard work to cope with life
stressors. Therefore, emotional bonding and higher family cohesion can promote family
member’s well-being and the quality of engagement and emotional bonding should be
maintained despite difficulties too.
Despite some strength, three negative factors that can impair family health have been
identified too. The inquiry regarding nutritional pattern of the family indicates risk of poor
nutrition. Over-indulgence on binge food and outside food has been documented. Daniel is a
diabetic patient, still he is not taking precaution. Hence, not controlling diet can create
complications and risk of other health issues for Daniel. Another barrier to health for the family

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includes lack of motivation to take part in physical activity. No member has been found to give
importance to physical activity and sedentary lifestyle can act as a major barrier to health and
well-being of the family. Hence, physical activity behavior of elder members of the family must
be changes so that children also adapt positive health behavior. Another barrier to health
identified includes Daniel’s habit of smoking. As Mr. Daniel is a diabetic patient, smoking can
lead to increases risk of cardiovascular event and death (Keto et al., 2016). Hence, supporting the
family to adapt positive health behavior will be critical to improve health.
The overall assessment of family functioning of Daniel’s suggest that the family is
indulged in many negative health behavior and they need to be motivated to change current
behavior for family well-being. Daniel can be motivated to change his and his family lifestyle by
the use of family systems theory. It is a concept that assumes family as an emotional unit and
uses systems thinking to affect emotional system of human and encourage them to change their
behavior (Kaakinen et al., 2018). Hence, the threats or barriers to health can be eliminated by
understanding the emotional system of the family and using emotional attachment to make the
family realized how importance their health and positive health behavior is for other member’s
well-being.

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References:
Garbacz, S. A., Witte, A. L., & Houck, S. N. (2017). Family engagement foundations:
Supporting children and families. Aligning and Integrating Family Engagement in
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
Garbarino, J. (2017). Children and Families in the Social Environment: Modern Applications of
Social Work. Routledge.
Kaakinen, J. R., Coehlo, D. P., Steele, R., & Robinson, M. (2018). Family health care nursing:
Theory, practice, and research. FA Davis.
Keto, J., Ventola, H., Jokelainen, J., Linden, K., Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, S., Timonen, M., ... &
Auvinen, J. (2016). Cardiovascular disease risk factors in relation to smoking behaviour
and history: a population-based cohort study. Open heart, 3(2), e000358.
Reid, N., Dawe, S., Harnett, P., Shelton, D., Hutton, L., & O’Callaghan, F. (2017). Feasibility
study of a family-focused intervention to improve outcomes for children with
FASD. Research in developmental disabilities, 67, 34-46.
Ringoot, A. P., Tiemeier, H., Jaddoe, V. W., So, P., Hofman, A., Verhulst, F. C., & Jansen, P. W.
(2015). Parental depression and child well-being: young children's self-reports helped
addressing biases in parent reports. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 68(8), 928-938.

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Appendix:
Interview questionnaire and response:
Q1. Hi, I am glad to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. Can you please enlighten how many
members are there in your family?
Answer: We are glad to meet you. I live with my Fiona, two daughters and my mother.
Health perception:
Q2. In general, how will you define your family’s health?
Answer: My two daughters are going fine. However, I have been troubled by diabetes since the
past two years. My wife has taken treatment for depression and my mother is suffering from
osteoarthritis and dementia for which she require constant care and support.
Q.3. Do you or any other family of your family members are addicted to any tobacco
products or alcohol?
Answer: I smoke 4-5 cigarettes per day.
Q. 4. How often do you all go for regular check-up with physician?
Answer: We do not go for regular check up and refer to the physician only when there is some
serious problem and daily work routine is hampered due to ailments.
Nutrition:
Q5. Do you regarding your family as a healthy eater?

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Answer: No, my daughters are too much into binge food. We like to have pizza and order
chocolates and sausages very often. We restrict only my mother from eating rich food as she has
some digestive problem.
Q6. Do you or any other member drink alcohol?
Answer: No
Q.7. Do you monitor your family’s daily fluid intake?
Answer: Except my mother, I don’t monitor fluid intake of anyone else.
Sleep rest:
Q. 8 How well do you sleep?
Answer: I sleep for 9-10 hours every day and there is no disruption.
Q.9 What do you feel about other members? Are they well rested and ready to take on
activities?
Answer: I think my wife is tired even in the morning sometimes and she might be suffering from
sleep problems.
Q.10. Have you or others ever used any aids to get a sound sleep?
Answer: My wife had to take some sleeping pills when she was suffering from depression.
Elimination:
Q. 11: Do you experience any abnormal bowel elimination pattern?

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Answer: Occasionally
Q. 12: How is your urine elimination pattern?
Answer: After being diagnosed with diabetes, I have to urinate frequently.
Q. 13: Have any other members experienced discomfort with controlling bowel elimination
pattern?
Answer: Yes, my mother experiences it. However, it is not that serious.
Activity/exercise:
Q. 14 What do you do to keep yourself physically active?
Answer: I try to walk as far as possible
Q15. Do you do any exercise?
Answer: No.
Q. 16. Would you like to take time out to go to a gym or participate in sports?
Answer: That would be hectic for me. However, on weekends I would not mind taking part in
sports.
Cognitive:
Q. 17 Is there any member in your family with hearing problem?
Answer: My mother seems to be experience it a bit
Q. 18: How often do you all go for eye examination?

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Answer: We go once every one year
Q. 19. Are you able to grab things quickly now?
Answer: Yes, interpreting any information is not a problem for me
Sensory/perception:
Q. 20. Are you satisfied with what you have achieved till now?
Answer: Yes, I have achieved many goals in life. However, I have lot to do even now.
Q. 21. Have you ever been dejected in life?
Answer: Yes, there were many failures which made me hopeless
Q. 22. How you plan to make your future life better?
Answer: In future, I will focus on building career of my children and supporting them to grab
best opportunities. They will make my life better
Role relationship:
Q. 23. What was your family structure when you grew up?
Answer: Joint
Q. 24. Do you like interacting with social groups outside work?
Answer: Yes
Q. 25. Do you take your family to a social event?
Answer: Sometimes

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Sexuality:
Q 26. Is there any change in your sexual relationship?
Answer: Yes
Q 27. Do you wish any change in your current sexual life?
Answer: Not really.
Coping:
Q. 28. What event was the most difficult for you to tolerate?
Answer: Loss of my father and rejection from job in the early stage of my career was difficult to
cope with
Q. 29. Do you get what you want from life?
Answer. Proper planning and hard work only help me to get what I want in life
Q. 30. What is your plan for the future?
Answer: I aim to take time out for my wife so that I can resolve her depression and give her
some quality time.