Mrs. Jones, a widow, is no longer able to live independently and is requiring more and more help with her self-care. Her daughter, Susie, who is married with three school-aged children, agrees to let her mother move in with her. Susie is concerned with balancing the demands of her career and the needs of her family, especially now that her elderly and chronically ill mother will need assistance. She is also unsure about how she feels with the reversal of roles, having to now be the primary caregiver of her mother. How can the nurse, caring for this family, assist with the changes they are about to undergo? How can both the family structural theory and the family developmental theory be applied to this scenario? How can health education enhance health promotion for this family?

Raising children is hard enough let alone caring for a parent as well. In Susie’s situation, a nurse would have to be highly on the lookout for signs of caregiver fatigue. In order for her to remain strong as the cornerstone of the family unit, a nurse should make sure that she is allotting time and activities for herself such as a weekly exercise class, a reading group, or any hobby that will help keep her mentally balanced. A nurse should assess how Susie deals with stress and then offer appropriate stress-management counselling.

A nurse should also assess the needs of all the individuals in the family and determine a plan by which they can all work together toward the goal of assisting in the care of Mrs. Jones while not sacrificing their individual needs. The children should be assessed to determine that are happy and healthy – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Encouraging the children to engage in extra-curricular activities could be beneficial here and to avoid feelings of resentment as their mother’s attention will be divided with Mrs. Jones.

It may be