RW: Working with Families and Children Flashcards
What is a family?
A group of people who want to be involved in each other’s lives and are therefore bound together by emotional ties and a sense of belonging
Components of a family
- small social system
- has its own cultural values and rules
- has a structure and basic functions
Family Nursing
Support and strengthen the resiliency of family members and the family unit
Depends on:
- organization philosophy
- type of care environment
- particular dynamics or needs of each family
Working with Family as context vs client
Context
- family seen as a larger social system which patient is a part
- patient is primary focus
Client
- focus on family unit and group dynamics
- its patterns of interactions and functions
- may provide care to subgroup within a family
Family Assessment
An exploration between the nurse and family to gain insight into the family’s perspective of the event, their strengths and need for support
Conducting a family assessment
a. create rapport
b. clarify roles (to family about what you can do and can not do)
c. Assure confidentiality while being honest about duties to report
d. seek out information about
- belief systems
- organizational patterns
- communication processes
Tools for family assessment
Visual image of family composition to identify resources
a. Genograms
b. Ecomaps
c. McMaster Model of Family Functioning (MMFF)
Graphic depiction
Squares = male Circles = female Triangles = non-binary gender
X = deceased ? = unsure about status --- = weak relationship --| |-- = weak broken relationshi \+++ = hostile relationship = = close/strong = energy flow
MMFF Dimensions
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Role formation
- Affective responsiveness
- Affective involvement
- Behavioural control
Young families and serious parental illness
1 of every 20 North American children will experience death of a parent before age 15
Psychosocial distress
An unpleasant experience of an emotional, psychological, social or spiritual nature that interferes with the ability to cope with daily life
- along a continuum
- from feelings of vulnerability to true depression
Manifestation of psychosocial distress in children
a. physiological
- appetite, sleep disturbances, headaches
b. behavioural
- tantrums, aggression, substance use, poor performance in school
c. psychological
- anxiety
d. spiritual
e. social
- social withdrawal
Underrepresentation of psychosocial distress in children of people with serious illness
- children don’t want to add to the burden
- psychosocial distress manifestations misinterpreted and detected
Misconceptions that prevent parents from talking to their children about a serious illness
- children don’t have the capacity to understand
- children need to be protected from difficult things
- children can’t live with uncertainty
- it should be initiated by children
- it’s all they will think about
Reasons for parental hesitancy
- not wanting to cause emotional damage
- not knowing what, when and how to tell children
- wanting to wait for “good news”
