A Mexican Family Health Assessment Report

Family health assessments amplify both family-centered and individual-centered healthcare delivery. Through these assessments, medical practitioners can design personalized care plans that incorporate family dynamics and individual behaviors (Christalle et al., 2019). Assessment findings guide nurses in deciding where to concentrate on elevating the members’ health status (Calatrava et al., 2022). This paper aims to outline the health patterns and dynamics of the Lara-Watts family. The analysis spans from the description of the structure, and health status, including behaviors, patterns, challenges, and the suitable family theory for enhancing the family’s health.

Family Structure

Lara-Watts family results from the union of Marty and Mike in 2013 in New Mexico. Their family comprises six members. Marty is 49 years old, while Mike is aged 51. The children are Stephanie, Andre, Chase, and Clayton, aged 29, 14, 9, and 7, respectively. Lara-Watts family members are from diverse backgrounds, with Marty being Caucasian while Mike is Hispanic. The two are homosexual and love their family even though none of the children is biologically theirs. Clayton is Caucasian, while Andre and Chase are bi-racial. Stephanie, Marty and Mike’s eldest daughter, and a half-sister to Andre, is the mother of Chase and Clayton. Lara-Watts family subscribes to non-denominational Christianity and acknowledges other people’s religious choices. Marty has been teaching for six years, while Mike has made it his responsibility to help people struggling with alcohol. Additionally, Marty serves as the CEO of a flourishing tax service business. Family and relationship roles are distributed based on age, capabilities, and earnings.

Health Assessment Findings

Lara-Watts family members are interested in learning about their health and medical diagnosis for self-care purposes. Marty and Mike have a shared role in the family, with Marty being the main financial provider and taking care of the family’s well-being. Both parents have mental illnesses: PTSD, major depression, and Bi-Polar type I. Additionally, the two have vision issues; thus, they are on optical glasses. Mike has had prostate cancer twice and has incontinence due to the radiation treatment; he uses a sphincter pump to help with urinary leakage. He has had multiple back surgeries, including gastric sleeve surgery. Clayton, the youngest in the family, has issues with bladder control because of his ADHD. Therefore, as inferable from the response to the interview questionnaire, the family is motivated to lead a healthy life.

Nutrition

The family usually eats a balanced dinner consisting of baked chicken with rice or pasta, broccoli, and garden salad. In their listing, water and soda were among their daily drinks, while burgers and fries comprise their weekend food intake. Mike has undergone gastric sleeve surgery, which makes him very strict with the family regarding food choices. Marty is allergic to tree nuts, but this does not limit the other members from eating nuts if they are careful with Mike’s restrictions of strictly keeping their nut-based products from Marty. The family minimizes sugar and starches in their intake to aid Mike with his weight loss journey. On the question of whether the family read nutritional labels, Marty affirmed, stating that they always carefully review to make healthy choices, more so for the children who need to be energized for their activities in sports

Sleep/Rest and Elimination

Sleep is significant for individual health. It rests the body and helps maintain a balance in the efficacy of various body systems (Gulia & Kumar, 2020). In the Lara-Watts family, adults sleep four to six hours while children sleep eight to ten hours daily. Children’s bedtime ranges from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The family also reported that both Marty and Mike have sleep apnea, with the former experiencing night terrors due to past military experiences. Every family member has a regular bowel movement, and when anyone experiences constipation, they deal with it through natural laxatives such as apple or prune juices. As reported earlier, Mike experiences incontinence and urinary leakage issues. The 7-year-old Clayton has ADHD.

Activity/ Exercise and Cognitive

Exercise is essential in the Lara-Watts family, where everyone except Mike is physically active. Mike’s inactivity results from his health conditions, having undergone multiple back surgeries and cancer treatment, though he would wish to be involved. Marty walks 10000 steps daily while the three boys are active in soccer. The family enjoys routine soccer practices and games three to four times weekly. In cognitive assessment, it surfaced that Mike has an AAS and is pursuing his BS. Marty holds a master’s degree in teaching, while Chase and Clayton are in their 2^nd grade. Andre is in 8^th grade. Clayton’s ADHD is the only learning challenge in this family.

Sensory Perception

Assessment of sensory perception is vital in healthcare. The goals of conducting sensory perception tests were to establish the ability to perceive bilateral and unilateral stimuli and get information from them (Wilson & Giddens, 2021). As stated in the overall health status, the parents wear optical glasses. All members can perceive sensory stimuli and describe the pain as a way through which the body communicates that something is wrong. When in pain, the family often opts for meditation and OTC drugs such as Tylenol and Advil to relieve pain.

Self-perception, Coping, and Sexuality

Mike and Marty perceive their union as a successful and well-blended homosexual couple, which results in a happy and loving family. They believe individual perception matters and that they are delighted their immediate families accepted their sexuality. Having received unanimous acceptance and tolerance from their family and the community dynamics, they are proud as a homosexual couple. Community support and group activities play a role in stress management and coping (McKimmie et al., 2019). Mike is a member of the AA group and participates in swim training classes. All children are active in their children’s PTO. The primary coping mechanisms in the Lara-Watts family include attending community groups such as the AA meeting for Mike, church, and family meditation. When dealing with stress, the family implements principles Mike and Marty learn in their AA community group meetings. They believe in honest dialogue to address misunderstandings and face stressors head-on through holistic approaches, not short-sighted conjecture.

Functional Health Strength and Health Problems

The major functional health strengths in the Lara-Watts family include exercising regularly, implementing AA principles in coping with stress, and observing nutritional needs based on every member’s health status. On the other hand, major health problems include Mike’s and Marty’s mental illnesses and the incontinence experienced by Mike. The noted mental diseases in the family include PTSD, major depression, and Bi-Polar type I. Another major health challenge is Clayton’s ADHD condition.

Family System Theory and Application

The family systems theory stipulates that to understand a person effectively, there is a need to examine the family because of the interconnection and interdependence between the members, which impacts health. In healthcare, providing personal and family-centered care necessitates the understanding of family because the members have a role in the health and well-being of one another (Milberg et al., 2020). Based on this theory, the Lara-Watts family should continue supporting each other health-wise and in their daily activities since this impacts their well-being. It is worth recommending that this family make physical exercise a family activity and have regular talks about showing love and sharing their challenges and progress. This way, they can unanimously work together to understand every aspect of the family and get more attached.

References

Calatrava, M., Martins, M. V., Schweer-Collins, M., Duch-Ceballos, C., & Rodríguez-González, M. (2022). Differentiation of self: A scoping review of Bowen family systems theory’s core construct.Clinical Psychology Review, 91, 102101. Web.

Christalle, E., Zill, J. M., Frerichs, W., Härter, M., Nestoriuc, Y., Dirmaier, J., & Scholl, I. (2019). Assessment of patient information needs: A systematic review of measures.PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0209165. Web.

Gulia, K. K., & Kumar, V. M. (2020). Importance of sleep for health and well-being amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep and Vigilance, 4(1), 49-50. Web.

McKimmie, B. M., Butler, T., Chan, E., Rogers, A., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2019). Reducing stress: Social support and group identification. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 23(2), 241-261.. Web.

Milberg, A., Liljeroos, M., Wåhlberg, R., & Krevers, B. (2020). Sense of support within the family: A cross-sectional study of family members in palliative home care. BMC Palliative Care, 19(1). Web.

Wilson, S. F., & Giddens, J. F. (2021). Health assessment for nursing practice (7th ed.). Evolve.

Appendix: Family Health Assessment Questionnaire

Values/Health Perception

1. What cultural and/or religious beliefs does your family like to be honored during medical care?
2. Do you feel your cultural/religious beliefs are supported by medical staff?
3. Do you feel supported in the community/do you currently belong to community support?

Nutrition

1. What is a typical dinner for your family?
2. Are there any dietary restrictions and if so, what does your family eat instead?
3. Does your family read/understand nutritional labels and aware of their daily nutritional intake?

(How does it relate to self)

Sleep/Rest

1. What is your family’s nightly bedtime routine?
2. How many hours does your family typically sleep at night?
3. Does your family have any barriers that restrict them from getting adequate sleep at night?

Elimination

1. Does your family have any digestive or urinary issues? (use the same bathroom?)
2. Does each member of your family have regular bowel movements?
3. How would your family deal with constipation?

Activity/Exercise

1. How often does your family exercise/is exercise important to your family?
2. What type of physical activities does your family participate in?
3. Does anyone in your family have a physical issue and/or past injuries that prevent them from getting adequate exercise?

Cognitive

1. What is the highest level of education/literacy each family member has?
2. Are there any learning barriers and/or difficulties?
3. Is your family interested in learning about their own health? Medical diagnosis?

Sensory-Perception

1. Does any member of your family have hearing and/or vision issues?
2. How does your family perceive pain?
3. What is your family’s preferred method of pain control?

Self-Perception

1. Does anyone in the family suffer from mental illness or emotional difficulties?
2. How do you perceive others see your family? How do they see you?
3. Where do you see your family in five years from now?

Role Relationship

1. Who is the primary financial provider within the home?
2. How are family duties split amongst each family member?
3. How does your family communicate amongst themselves?

Sexuality

1. How does your family relate/cope with your specific sexuality?
2. Do you/your family feel supported/unsupported by medical community?
3. Do you/family belong to any community support groups?

Coping

1. What coping mechanisms do you/your family practice daily/weekly?
2. How do you/family cope during crisis? (Provide example please)
3. How do you feel about coping daily vs/and/or during crisis?