Family Assessment

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT Family Focused Health Assessment Nancy E Gundersen Grand Canyon University NRS429v December 4, 2011 Family Focused Health Assessment This paper will assess a family interviewed using Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns. It will summarize the findings for each health pattern from a designated number of interview questions. The author identifies two wellness nursing diagnoses based on the author’s assessment of the family health patterns and the answers provided to the interview questions. The family interviewed was a husband and wife who live active lives.
They have recently moved from Colorado to Texas and both have new jobs. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren who reside in Oregon and Colorado. The wife recently went through radiation therapy for MALT lymphoma and the husband recently learned he has been living with only 1 kidney and a herniated disk. The husband has had gout since he was twenty five and the wife was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome at age eighteen. These conditions have been controlled by diet and medication. Otherwise this family is fairly healthy. They are from different backgrounds and different cultures but have adapted their own traditions and health habits.
Both are mastered prepared and share similar hobbies and interests. Summary of functional health patterns; 1. Values, health perceptions a. Both family members value health and do not have cultural influences as it relates to how they obtain a healthy lifestyle. They understand that eating right and exercising will increase their chances of regaining their health. 2. Nutrition b. Both family members work fulltime and have a very full schedule. They arise early and are out the door with a minimal breakfast. The husband has a slim fast nutrition drink while the wife may have a bowl of cereal or slice of toast. Their lunch habits vary. The wife usually brings lunch with her that includes a sandwich or protein bar. The husband usually goes home for lunch and will make himself a cup of soup or a leftover salad. The wife usually does not arrive home until 6:30 or 7pm while the husband is home by 5pm. He is able to make healthy dinners as he enjoys cooking. They both try to stay away from the foods that will bring on symptoms of gout or irritable bowel syndrome. 3. Sleep/Rest c. The husband does not usually have problems falling asleep but will get up during the night to use the bathroom.

He only uses sleep aids when he travels as his sleep patterns are interrupted. The wife has a hard time falling asleep because of the stresses of the day and will occasionally use an over the counter sleep aid if she is unable to get a good night sleep for several days. 4. Elimination d. The husband has no issue with proper elimination. He attributes this to eating a lot of salads. The wife however, because of her irritable bowel syndrome will sometimes alternate between having constipation and diarrhea. She takes a probiotic routinely, benefiber and drinks plenty of water in addition to trying to watch what she eats to stay regular. . Activity/Exercise e. Both family members consider exercise as an important part of their daily life. Recent illnesses have prevented their ability to do strenuous exercise. The husband most recently hurt his back and the wife has not yet fully recovered from her radiation treatment. Both do other forms of activities however including taking stairs instead of elevators, walking nine holes of golf and routine household chores such as yard work. 6. Cognitive f. Both family members do much better when they are in control of a meeting or situation. They feel clear headed and better prepared.
They both have periods when they may forget to do something they were asked and have learned to write things down to help prevent this from happening. 7. Sensory-perception g. Both family members are dealing with conditions that have not allowed them to be as active as they have been in the past. They frequently complain of joint pain or muscle aches. They try to stretch and work up to more strenuous activity. Gout causes joint pain and a recent diagnosis of a herniated disk has increased back pain for the husband who is going to physical therapy once a week. 8.
Self-perception h. The wife was diagnosed with cancer. This was a very stressful situation and the husband felt helpless as he could not alleviate her symptoms. The wife was afraid and felt helpless and fearful. The husband has also come to the realization that he is not able to play golf like he use to as he has restrictive movement due to his back problems. They both feel discouraged at times and have feelings of despair. 9. Role Responsibility i. Both family members feel they communicate well with each other and have developed routines that fit their lifestyle.
The wife does not like to cook but the husband does so that works out very well. The husband’s recent role of caregiver while the wife was going through radiation therapy was a situation they both had to deal with but in different ways. The wife stated she always thought she would be the one caring for her husband not the other way around. 10. Sexuality j. The recent stresses that both have gone through has affected their sexual patterns. Moving, a critical medical diagnosis, a new job, making new friends and leaving their children was very difficult for both.
Each stated they just worked through it. 11. Coping k. They both have been through a lot this past year and ? and it is maintaining a level head, knowing that they can count on each other and using logic not emotion to deal with issues has gotten them through some difficult times. Wellness nursing diagnosis The wellness nursing diagnosis within this family that might be candidates for intervention would be in the areas of activity and exercise and sleep rest patterns. The recent diagnosis for both family members has affected their normal exercise routine.
Their wellness nursing diagnosis would be the readiness for an enhanced exercise program. They need more exercise to increase their aerobic cardiac health and need to resurrect the exercise routine that they enjoyed prior to their illness. Their risk diagnosis is disuse syndrome and the husband is at risk for peripheral neurovascular dysfunction and impaired physical mobility. If this family does not follow a proper exercise program that best fits their health condition and lifestyle they can easily become sedentary and increase their chances for other health risks.
The actual wellness nursing diagnosis for both family members is they currently have activity intolerance. The nursing wellness diagnosis for sleep-rest pattern is necessary for this family is they need to have a program established to enhance their sleep habits. They both have interrupted sleep patterns and use medication to help them rest. They both have disturbed sleep patterns and are at risk for sleep deprivation. The actual nursing wellness diagnosis would be sleep pattern disturbance and sleep deprivation. This family has done exceptionally well coping with the recent health issues they have had to face.
They are a team and stated they need to regain their health. Continuing their healthy lifestyle, with all the obstacles, has only brought them closer together. They are working hard to get healthy again and building up their stamina when it comes to exercising is top of their list. They continue to do research on what may be beneficial for them and will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. References Edelman, M. Health promotion throughout lifep 7th edition. Mosby Elsevier. Gundersen, N. E. (2011, December 4). Family health assessment. (Interview with Mr. and Mrs.
John Howard) (Mr. and Mrs. John Howard, Trans. ) (Interviewed using Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns as a guide). Austin Texas (Original work published 22 Questions developed using Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns). Weber, J. R. (2005). Nursing diagnoses (Wellness, risk and actual) grouped according to functional health patterns. In Nurses handbook of health assessment 5th edition Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams &Wilkens. Retrieved from http://jxzy. smu. edu. cn/jkpg/Uploadfiles/file/TF_06928152357_nursing%20grouped%20by%20functional%20health%20patterns. pdf