Hypothetical Family Health Promotion Assessment Essay

Hypothetical Family Health Promotion Assessment - Essay Example While some families may consist of the standard two-parent home, there are a numerous amount of ways in which families are organized and in which social groups they exist. The modern nurse must be sensitive to these unusual circumstances and adjust one’s attitude accordingly, being careful not to place judgment upon clients who need nursing services. According to Bomar (2004), â€Å"During the past two decades, the evolution of family nursing assessment in nursing theory, practice, education, and research has been observed and documented in the nursing literature† (pp. 275). Nurses must be sensitive also to the fact that various ages, races, ethnicities, and other demographics of people may not fit perceived stereotypes, or that their lives’ paths vary significantly from what is considered socially appropriate or aesthetically pleasant. Some people live in abject poverty while other patients may be quite rich—and it is important for the nurse to understand that she must treat all of her patients with the same amount of dignity and care as she would anyone else. This is especially true of the Morrison family as evidenced in Mary Lawson’s book Crow Lake. Katie is definitely not the typical caregiver, as she is an young adult herself and learning how to take care of a young sister who is less than five years old. Katie is one of the focal points of the book, a scientist who struggles with the issues that surround being impoverished, but, at the same time juggling responsibilities while aspiring to a better life. The FFAM is, according to Stanhope and Lancaster (2006), â€Å"[o]ne family assessment model and approach developed by a nurse†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 335). The FFAM is able to assess various family issues that are of concern to the nurse in his or her chosen profession. Obviously, in any family there are immediate telltale signs of problems. The most obvious sign of some problem is physical abuse, although, the problems to b e discussed here are more internal, invisible, intangible problems which can have effects on patients. Although one can’t see a bruise, indeed, the individual is injured, albeit in his or her psyche. It is the emotional pain that can also scar a patient irrevocably for life, and this is what the nurse seeks to diagnose in order so that he or she can assuage the patient’s fears and continue to pursue a plan that will plot a course of treatment appropriate for the patient. Affective Involvement is the first aspect that I would think would be very key in assessing the Morrison family’s situation. The family’s young ones are taught not to express themselves overtly in a strong manner. Says Lawson (2003), â€Å"Understatement was the rule in our house. Emotions, even positive ones, were kept firmly under control† (pp. 9). Most relevant for promoting the Morrison family’s health in this category comes under the concern of the young people basicall y not being cared for in the ways they need to develop. For example, one very important concern is Katie’s younger sister Bo, who is a toddler. Toddlers need lots of love and affection from parents in order to develop properly, and without that kind of support, Bo will rely almost entirely upon her older sister as a mother figure, and upon her brothers Matt and Luke as father figures. However, since Luke at one point might go away to college, and Matt establishes his own family—only Luke remains once he decides that he is going to get a job to support the family instead, even though he