Family Support

As an individual, each family member must strive for a balance of social, emotional, physical and spiritual health. It has been said that one does not pick his or her family but optimally, a family can be a resource for comfort with the loss of a loved one, stress from a job or other factor that perhaps only the family would understand.
Before the turn of the century, generally, the mother would be at home taking care of child rearing and household tasks while the father was working and providing the financial resources. The traditional dynamic changed, when World War I, II and the depression became part of the traditional western lifestyle. Women needed to start working and children worked, too, until laws disallowed it and put youth in schools. This change to the traditional social structure jumbled up the long-standing social structure, where now there are children coming home from school with no adults there, in many cases or living in single parent or blended families. The concept of a ‘family,’ has changed over the decades but ultimately the social unit that a person lives in can be invaluable for the health of the individual and all family members at large, as a result (AJPH, n.d.).
Since health of a family has a genetic foundation, often the health of the individual can be a reflection of the good of the whole. Where the family has a calm environment, it helps stage a healthy resting and sleep zone. When a family has a regular physical avocation outlet, such as gardening, sports in the yard or walks in the park, the mental health and body systems bode well. Where the members have mastered skill of communication, understanding their emotions and using them in a healthy way, abuse and substance misuse will be avoided or reduced (KSU, n.d.).
The family that has a healthy spiritual side will also support the others even if the individual spiritual orientation is not the same. Ultimately, the person that know goals, purpose in life and attends place of worship (if that fits individual choice), the structure will be more comfortable and healthy.
As it is said, “the body is thy temple,” and when members of a family are available to provide resources to other members, a sense of security, affirmation and support can be invaluable and cost effective for health care costs and health risk reduction. When one takes care of self, others may do the same as in a peer pressure sort of way (KSU,n.d.).
Regardless of whether a family is wealthy or low income a role model for children is invaluable. When a parent is able to draw on the assets of a family he/she will be there for other times of challenge or misfortune. A happy and healthy family will be the ticket to the future, passing on the advantages of health of the family for the next generation (AJPH, n.d.).

Clinch Valley Medical Center does not have a defined nursing model for practicing nurses within the facility. However; based on concepts and theories of nursing available, the common practice noted at Clinch Valley Medical Center tends to fit in King?s Theory of Goal Attainment. King?s theory considers the approach of family-as-context. This is including the family when developing the plan of care that is individualized for the patient (Friedman, 2003).

This concept is an effect approach for the nursing staff at Clinch Valley Medical Center, the facility is located in a small rural area in Virginia and many of the patients that are treated have family members employed at the hospital so involving the family-as-context is a natural fit. This approach allows the family to participate in the care of the patients while giving the family and the patient a sense of power over the plan of care. Having this available to the family not only increases compliance, it increases the satisfaction for the patient and the family.

No matter the situation or illness, family of the patient needs to be included in the care and planning for future necessary care that will need to be provided. Families of patients are taking patients home and caring for them sometimes with the assistance of a home health agency, so it stands to reason including the family in the plan of care is essential to the wellbeing of the patient.

References
Friedman, M.M., Bowden, V.R. and Jones, E.G. (2003). Family Nursing Research,
theory, and Practice.(5th Ed.). Prentice-Hall.

Role of Industrial Health Services in Promoting Family Health (n.d.) retrieved on April 25, 2010
from http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/47/9/1118.pdf
Theoretical bases For Promoting family health (n.d.) retrieved on April 25, 2010 from
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/alrousan/Documents/nur204/lect-1.pdf