Family Health Assessment
Stephanie Beck
Grand Canyon University
Family Centered Health Promotion Home
Nurs 429V
August 9, 2015

Family Health Assessment
The Family Health Assessment is used as an all-inclusive tactic to guarantee the health and fitness of individuals and their families; it focuses on ensuring that families recognize their health needs. (Edelman, 2010, Chapter 6 &7) I have had the privilege of interviewing the Varcela family, who is a Hispanic family which consist of Mom, Dad, and 2 kids, who are twins a boy and a girl. Dad (42) who works in construction work, Mom (38) is a surgical scrub tech; the children are 9 years old, in the 3rd grade. The data that is collected came from open-ended questions that were asked by myself. This information was then used to formulate a nursing diagnosis, also to show the audience how the families live their lives, and how they deal with the struggles of life, health concerns, beliefs, values, activity’s, and relaxation.
Values and Health Perception
While assessing the Varcela family, they have very strong spiritual beliefs in the Catholic religion. They valve each other as family and not just the immediate family but the extended family as well, because mom has a host of sisters and brothers, cousin, nieces, and nephews, so family Is very important for her. They are all in pretty good health, the children both are healthy kids, they were full term babies, mom states, “ she could lose a couple pounds, “ but otherwise healthy, no smoking or drinking in the home. Dad is also healthy; he goes to the doctor yearly for his annual physical exams, he exercises quite regularly. Mom reports that her mother and sisters are slightly obese and suffer form hypertension, so she wants to prevent any of this from happening to her. Health perception with this family is very important; they are doing quite well, taking the initiative to be preventative, especially when it comes to nutrition. The children are being raised with good Hispanics culture and Catholic principles they also believe that children should be obedient to their parents as well as any other adult that may be present. The family relives heavily on prayer and they also attend mass every week. Good hard work and morals are practiced in the home and installed in their children.
Nutrition
The family nutrition consists of very well balanced meals at least twice a day. They really try to consume healthy snacks, but they say that this is very difficulty at times due to the children “loving sweets”; They eat a moderate amount of fried foods, but a lot of vegetables and fruits. Eating fast foods are limited to special occasions such as birthdays, award ceremonies from school, and vacations. The intake of rice is very high in their family, so they have all agreed that some eating habits need improving. The family really wants to decrease the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Sleep/Rest
In regards to sleep and rest, the family usually sleeps about 8-10 hours a day, which is pretty good and this is uninterrupted sleep. Bedtime for the kids is 9 o’clock during school hours, and 10p.m on the weekends and summer time. Both mom and dad try to get in bed before 11 p.m. at night, both parents wake up around 5 a.m. during the week for work. Naps are very seldom and are considered a pleasure. No one in the family suffers from any sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. Resting is defined by watching a good movie or T.V, reading a good book is the family favorite thing to do together. During the summer relaxing by the pool is something that they also enjoy; every one feels very rested in the mornings.
Elimination
I asked the family to describe their elimination patterns, and I understand that sometimes this sensitive subject, but they were all normal in this regard. The children both have regular, normal bowel movements, the only time this is interrupted is when the kids may have had too many sweets, which results in an upset stomach. The dad can have up to 4 bowel movements in a day, and that is normal for him. Laxatives are not commonly used, but sometimes Pepto Bismol is used for an upset stomach or heartburn. Urine patterns are normal as well, yellow in color or straw colored, no burning or irritation to report.
Activity/Exercise
The family loves to engage in activity’s for fun on a regular basics, they enjoyed reading books, watching movies, walking on natural trails especially in the fall months, in summer swimming is noted as exercise for the family. The dad has a gym membership and he attends the gym at least 3 times a week for weight training, he enjoys this every week. The children are involved in extra curriculum activities during the school months, they play soccer, baseball and have karate on Mondays and Wednesdays, and they really enjoy the sports. Mom tries to walk outside in the neighborhood as much as she can, but has been trying to increase this activity. Exercise can really help this family prevent heart disease and obesity, also to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Cognitive/Sensory Perception
The family reports not having any neurological problems, and no one in their family have had any history of this as well. The mom wears glasses and is near sighted, and the children have great vision, no problems to report as of now. The dad has great eye sight as well, no problems to report. Everyone can see, hear, touch, and smell quite well, no issues to report. The family have yearly eye check up, to make sure that everything is going well for the eye sight especially since the children are in school and sometimes seeing the board my become difficult so they want to keep abreast of the situation. The parent’s states that in 40 years they can see themselves with a good bill of health, there are a couple things that they may have to improve on, but they see in the future being extremely fit and healthy. The mom is very good at making doctor appointment for the family, she know when it’s time for the dentist, eye dr, physicals and etc, she makes the decisions regarding all health matters. Mom states that she loves her family unconditionally and she will do everything in her power to make sure that every one stays healthy for many many years to come.
Roles/Relationships/Sexuality
With regards to the marriage that is the big part of this family, they also have other roles and relationships, such as mom, dad, husband, wife, care giver, bread winner, children, brother, sister, daughter, and son. The father is the main bread winner in the family, although the mom has a job, the father says that a man is suppose to provide for the family, and the mom is to take care of the home. This relationship has been working for their family for 18 years, and they are happy with this arrangement. The couple does however wish that they had more alone time together for sexual expression, but they do try to make special time for this. The mother loves being a mom first, she cooks, cleans and helps the children with homework, the dad helps out as well, but more on the weekends. The children also have choirs that they are responsible for such as cleaning their rooms, putting the dishes up, vacuuming the house, and even help cook a meal every now and then. In regards to sexuality, the parents have chosen not to talk about sexual relationships at this time with the children; they wish to wait just a little while longer. The mother has spoken to the daughter about girl body parts and what to expect as she gets older, and the father has spoken to the son about boy body parts, and what to expect when he gets older, regarding hair, and changing of the voice. As the children get older, these conversations will become more frequent, and more detailed as time goes on. Both adults in the home, has also preformed self check up to make sure things are well with their bodies, such as self breast exams, and testicular tests, they are on the right road of healthy living.
Coping
When I asked the family about stress and how they coped with stress, they responded with saying prayer and time heals all things. They really try not to stress about things that they don’t have any control of or even if they do have control, they simply don’t worry. Mom says, “ stressing can affect and change the mood of the whole family”, and she doesn’t want to do that. The children have been watching everything that the parents do, and they want to be the best influences for them. If things do get tensed they will make it a point to sit down and talk about it as a family, and everyone can have a chance to ask questions, taking a deep breath helps the dad out whenever he is stressed. The family spends a lot of time with close friends and family members, they try to prepare meals together and have get together at least 3 times a months, so everyone can relax and have a great time. The family tries to not let things bother them to the point that it affects their normal lives, prayer and communication among the family as a unit really helps them to stay connected and close.
Gordon’s structure provides a solid position from which nurses can participate together with patients in decision making for their own healthcare. (Edelman, 2010, Chapter 6) The Varcela family presently has a good health status. They do not have any evident sicknesses, currently they have regular health care habits and regular health check ups. The family has an extraordinary level of physical activity and does not use alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Although there are rooms for improvement such as minimizing the amount of fried foods, and mom increasing her exercise regimen, the family as a unit is satisfied with their relationships and roles.
Nursing Diagnosis
Based on the family’s assessment, 3 nursing diagnosis was chosen that I felt would be appropriate for them, to consider and start to improve in the areas they see fit, with a good plan in mind for the better outcome of the family and the future. 1. Effective therapeutic regimen management (Weber, 2005, p. 1) related to healthy eating patterns, daily exercise, and being completely aware of the health and risk factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity. 2. Risk for ineffective sexuality pattern (Weber, 2005, p. 3) related to the spouses verbalizing not having time for sexual relations as much as they would like, and inadequate opportunities for sexual expression, knowledge deficit related to parents not sexually educating the kids due to young age, this will change in a couple of years or as the parents see fit. 3. Readiness for enhanced activity, exercise pattern (Weber, 2005, p. 3) related to the daily activities that the family engages in, including all activities, and leisure activity. The mom expresses a much-needed desire to improve in her exercises and performances. Mom just need to set goals for herself and start off slow, and with short-term goals, then advance.
Conclusion
Gordon’s functional health pattern theory is a helpful tool in making family diagnosis. It is beneficial in defining the psychosocial performance of the household and delivers a structure for intervention by providing the essential information about the family and their relations and roles. (Eisenhauser & Murphy, para. 1-2) The Varcela family is on their way to great healthy lives not only for them but also for their children and extended family.

References
Edelman, C. L. (2010). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span (7th ed.). Retrieved from http://evolve.elsevier.com
Eisenhauser, L. A., & Murphy, M. A. (). Functional Health Patterns. Retrieved from https://www2.bc.edu/laurel-eisenhauer/pharmacology%20and%20drug%20therapy/Variables/FHPandDrugs.htm
Weber, J. R. (2005). Nurses’ Handbook of Health Assessment, (5th ed.). Retrieved from http://web.archive.org...