According to Green (2018) a nuclear family was defined as a mother a father and their children. “Today’s use of the term usually denotes a couple and their children, without indication of gender, marriage, or biological relationships. In contrast, a single-parent family is household in which only one parent is present with a child or children.” (Green, 2018). Coming from a single-parent family structure I can understand the importance of acknowledging other nontraditional structures. Being able to recognize these different structures allows a nurse to properly formulate an individualized plan of care. This becomes especially true when thinking about discharging a patient home. Family members will typically take on the role of caretaker when a client is sent home from their hospital stay. Identifying the structure of the family will give the nurse an idea of how to approach the situation and who will take the lead on the client’s needs after discharge.
In order to maintain a stable family unit, each member of the family is considered a subsystem. According to Bowen’s thesis humans cannot be studied in isolation in order to understand family dynamics. In order to accomplish this one must observe and assess the client’s family and the interaction that takes place between them. Changes in one subsystem affect the other components, in turn, the family will respond by adapting. Families are more likely to make good lifestyle choices when one individual within the family system leads by example. These efforts to promote public health are vital (Yoder et al., 2016). When providing care and encouraging health promotion for the patient, their family should be included in the teaching program.
References:
Yoder, J. R., Ruch, D., & Hodge, A. (2016). Families of youth who have sexually offended: Understanding shared experiences and moving towards a typology. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 1581-1593.
Green, S. (2018). Understanding families and health promotion, In Grand Canyon University (Eds.), Health and Wellness Across the Continuum. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/4
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