Family Assessment a) Family form A definition of family: “A family is two or more persons who are joined together by bonds of sharing and emotional closeness and who identify themselves as being part of a family. ” Friedman (1997) The Jordan’s are a nuclear family. The family members include husband, wife and three children. Dad is forty four years old, Mom is forty one years old and the three boys are seven, nine and eleven. The children are all in school, the parents help the seven year old who is in second grade with his homework. While I was visiting, the youngest child was working on a book report.
He was asking several questions of his Mom during the interview. The boy was very well-mannered and said “excuse me” before asking for help. The nine and eleven year old boys are quite independent with all their school work. When they have a bible reading schedule related to their worship, they read together as a family. b) Patterns of Interaction/Communication The wife does all the domestic duties with the help of the oldest child. This family are Jehovah’s Witnessess and culturally, the husband is the bread winner of the house and should work hard to provide for the entire family. The wife should take care of all the house work.
Jehovah’s Witnessess believe the wife should not work. The Mothers job is to make sure the entire family’s needs are met. This includes caring for her children emotionally, physically and psychologically. Like the Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, the family is seen as an emotional unit. I did observe Mrs. Jordan as a very compassionate, concerned and emotional mother. She was very serious when talking about her children; she felt strongly that the boys should be able to come to her with any issues, good or bad. Mrs. Jordan is also responsible for the family budget and finances. When asked “Who has the power and authority in our family? Mrs. Jordan replied, “The Bible, Jehovah’s Word has the power in our family. It is the essence and the foundation of our family. ” If there is a decision to be made that affects the whole family, the husband and wife make the decisions, but the husband is the head of the household. The family believes in what the bible says, “The Golden Rule”, “Treat others the way you want to be treated. ” The developmental theory considers overtime the family unit foes through various phases that can be predicted based on norms. The family development approach examines role expectations within the family unit.
I asked the family, “Are there any role assessments, such as “the good child” or “neat freak” the boys laughed and look at each other. Then the mom quickly responded, “No. Not at all. Our children know the law contained in the Bible and are governed by its principles. ” They all seemed to be comfortable when answering the questions in the interview, although their answers were somewhat vague, the dad did not participate much in the interview. Instead, he was answering calls and working from home. The family was asked if they engage in any activities together. The family volunteers in Life Saving Preaching Work.
They are all involved in this ministry that saves lives. In other words, they share the gospel with others, believing that they with come to know the Lord. The husband is also a volunteer in the medical field. He was not specific when answering this question. The Jordan’s also have what they call “round table discussions” which they partake in every Friday night. c) Boundaries I wanted to know if their family had any subjects that were difficult to discuss together. The family brought up the subject of racism. Mrs. Jordan shared a story about other children in school making racial comments to her child.
This was devastating to Mrs. Jordan and she found it very hard and complicated to discuss. She felt anger toward the children that bullied her son. We discussed other boundaries as well. For example, I asked if the family members interact with groups outside of their family, Mrs. Jordan said “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses and as such, we are a part of an international brotherhood and we do not need invitation before visiting any of our brothers and sisters what we do not do is associate closely with non-witnesses, because bad association spoils useful habits. Everyone in the family seemed to agree with mom on this subject. In fact, the middle boy shared that they were only allowed to have a sleepover with other children born into Jehovah’s witnesses with manners based on the bible. He also mentioned that it is a rule in their house; they can only play their videos or watch TV on Friday, Saturday and Sunday until noon. d) Family Values & Norms The Structure Function Theory suggests the family is viewed as an organization; roles, values, and communication are integral components. The Jordan’s differ from many families I know because of their strong religious beliefs.
The Jordan’s values are based on the bible and all of them are equally important, according to Mrs. Jordan. She also stated “Honesty, it’s a way of life. ” It is also very important to the family that they are sharing the gift of everlasting life with others who decide to listen to their preaching work. The family likes to spend time with each other every day. During breakfast they read their daily devotionals, and the father says a prayer on behalf of the whole family before they depart for the day. e) Religion Religion is very important to the family, and they have strong religious beliefs that may affect their healthcare decisions.
They are to put their spiritual well-being before any other things. As a Jehovah’s Witness, they do not accept blood transfusions under any circumstance, even in the face of death according to scriptures Leviticus 17:10, 11, Leviticus 17:13,14, Acts 15:22-29. When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, “We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible.
When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, “We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible. f) Culture g) Family Stressors Lastly, I wanted to know if the family is currently dealing with any stressors. Currently Mrs. Jordan says that she is bored at home and would like to go back to work. h) Family’s Strength and Resources The children were very well behaved during this interview.
The oldest son, took my coat, and asked if I would like anything to drink. I thought the three boys were all extremely well mannered, gentlemen. The Father did not participate much in the interview; he was also very polite and welcoming. The Jordan family has much strength such as, communication, honesty, love and discipline. Like Mrs. Jordan I feel that discipline is a form of love. The family I connected, they sound time with one another and they help each other out. In addition, the family has many resources in their community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
From what I understand this is a very connected community. They are likely to find the help of others in their community if they needed. Summary I think the family and I both learned a few things from this interview. I particularly found it intriguing that the family reads the bible together every day. If and when I have children of my own, I will have this tradition with my family as well. I found out more interesting information when I asked questions regarding the family’s health care. The family uses primary prevention measures such as; a healthy diet and exercise.
The entire family has a membership at a fitness gym. The family is however against immunizations because they believe it can cause other health issues. The husband is a doctor and says he “has knowledge” of the serious side effects. I can understand the concern as parents, but as their nurse it is my job to explain both the risks and benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly recommends that the risks and benefits are discussed by a nurse or doctor before any refusal documents are signed. That means that we are to teach on each vaccine and the disease it prevents.
I would also refer them to the AAP website that has information on immunizations, providing parents an opportunity to ask questions about their concerns and attempting to understand parents’ reason for refusing one or more vaccines. It is important to maintain a supportive relationship with the family. The AAP encourages documentation the health care provider’s discussion with the parents of the serious risks. Have the parent sign the refusal for and keep it the patient’s medical record. The secondary prevention measures were regular checkups which are performed by the mom and dad.
The dad is a neurosurgeon, and the mom has a nursing degree. The husband is the wife’s primary physician also. She also admitted that she has never had a dental checkup, but the children have. She never had a mammogram and doesn’t intend to until she is sixty five years old. And lastly, when asked about medication taken, Mrs. Jordan explained, no one is on any medications. The goals I develop must be realistic, asking myself, “to what extent can the goals be achieved? ” I personally feel like the parents are adamant regarding the children’s immunizations.
I would however provide them with the information from the AAP website to increase the knowledge or provide them with information that they may have previously misinterpreted or misunderstood. I would set a goal with Mrs. Jordan that she gets her annual mammogram and dental check-ups every six months as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). The National Cancer Society (NCI) recommends that women age forty or older have screening mammograms every one to two years, and the standard recommendation is to visit a dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings.
