The family is the basic unit of care in community health nursing. It is an important social structure needed for reproduction and socialization. A family refers to a number of persons joined together by bonds of marriage, blood or adoption (Burgess, 1963). Freeman (1992) defined family as two or more persons who are joined together by bonds sharing emotional closeness and who identify themselves as being part of the family.
REASONS FOR HAVING THE FAMILY AS THE UNIT OF SERVICE 1. It is the natural and fundamental unit of any society. 2. It prevents, tolerates and corrects health problems within its membership. 3. Health problems of its members are interlocking. 4. It is the most frequent locus of health decisions. 5. It is an effective and available channel for much of the CHN effort. 6. It provides a crucial environmental force. 7. It validates and influences health efforts of CHN because of its interaction with the larger social system.
TYPES OF FAMILIES ACCORDING TO COMPOSITION 1. Nuclear/nuclear dyad 4. Blended 2. Multigenerational/extended 5. Communal 3. Single-parent/incomplete 6. Foster
GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF A FAMILY 1. Physical maintenance 2. Socialization of family members 3. Allocation of resources 4. Maintenance of order 5. Division of labor 6. Reproduction, recruitment and release of members 7. Placement of members into the larger society 8. Maintenance of motivation and morale
FAMILY HEALTH TASKS 1. Recognizing interruptions of health or development 2. Seeking health care 3. Managing health and non-health crises 4. Providing nursing care to the sick, disabled or dependent member of the family 5. Maintaining a home environment conducive to good health and personal development 6. Maintaining a reciprocal relationship with the community and its health institutions
NURSING PROCESS IN FAMILY