Nur 542: Family Health Care

Family Health
Jon Shepherd
NUR/542
May20, 2013
Judith McLeod

Family Health
There are many ways to define family. The traditional definition is a group of related people living together in the same household. Families of today may have only one parent may have a step mother or step father may have adoptive parents, and in some cases may have parents of the same gender (Friedmann, Bowden, & Jones, 2003). Family is a term that can be interpreted differently by different individuals. No matter how a family is described or defined, there is a need for family support, particularly when it pertains to health care. This paper will focus on the importance of family in the health of our society and the application of Dorothea Orem’s
The nurse may assess the family as part of the patient’s support system but may not include the family in the plan of care. Family as Sum of its Parts is associated with community health nursing where the individual family members (not one individual, but all members individually) are the focus. The Family Subsystem as Client focuses on the interpersonal relationship of the family. These relationships include the parent-child relationship and marital relationships. The Family as Client centers the focus on family dynamics and relationships. The family is the primary focus and the individual family members are secondary. Finally, the Family as a Component of Society is where the family is seen as a part of a larger system. The family here is on the large scale or institutional size. The family is considered an institution, or component of society, just as religious or educational institutions
Orem’s initial work focused on the person as an individual (George, 2011), although her theory later developed into the person ranging from families up to the whole community. Orem’s theory stated that the person could initiate, perform, and maintain care of oneself, and this is learned through relationships ("Nursing Theories: A Companion to Nursing Theories and Models", 2012). Her theory goes on to explain the self-care requirements, or requisites, are found in every human being, and across all stages of life (Romeo & Devereaux, 2006). Orem’s theory, or philosophy, is essentially to get the person back to his or her level of self-care. This point of self-care can be extremely different in various parts of the world. The self-care of a person in Africa, Mexico, or the United States may be vastly different, or as with the patient who has heart failure as compared to a young healthy person with no deficits.
Orem’s theory is the most conducive in the ICU setting as these patients or families can no longer care for themselves. Assisting these patients, or at times giving total care, allows the family to recognize the amount of care the patient currently needs and what he or she may need in the future. Compassion and caring for the family is shown by addressing their need for rest and nourishment. The need for the family members to take care of themselves is highly encouraged so that they in turn can take