Health Assessment (Part 1). There

¶ … Health Assessment (Part 1). There are social as well as cultural factors that one must consider when doing a comprehensive health assessment. The Mardones family consists of a mother, Renata, and father, Miguel, -- ages 34 and 37, respectively and three children. The children are Jennifer (8), Stephanie (6), and Michael (2). Renata and Miguel are originally from Mexico City, but all three children were born in the United States. The family as a whole seems quite culturally assimilated -- especially the children.

The family speaks Spanish at home, but the children are fluent in English (and appear more comfortable speaking English as they slip into often at home when being spoken to in Spanish). Renata and Miguel both speak a little English.

Renata and Miguel have high school educations and Miguel is a laborer who works primarily in landscaping; Renata stays at home, but she periodically works stands in for caretakers of elderly persons when she is needed; but her main job is caring for her children as Michael is only 2 years of age. This paper will begin its assessment beginning with the youngest member of the family -- Michael. Michael: 2 years old.

Michael is in what Erikson called the second stage of development -- Early Childhood, which runs approximately from 18 months to 3 years. (Infancy is before this -- lasting Birth to 18 months). In this stage of ego development, autonomy and shame issues are developed as well as basic strength concerning self-control, will, and courage. Michael is at the stage where he is learning to do things for himself. He talks and walks and is able to feed himself -- albeit messily.

His fine motor development is being worked on a daily basis as he learns to skills every day through play. Michael is definitely in the "terrible two" stage as he has learned and uses the word "No" quite frequently. This wears on Renata as she oftentimes allows Michael to keep doing what he was doing because he makes such a fuss. Michael is not yet toilet trained.

The younger girls Jennifer and Stephanie fawn over Michael and the family as a whole takes pleasure in playing with him and helping when they are around. Miguel is a loving father, but not very hands-on as he doesn't change diapers or cook the dinner. He is tired when he gets home from work and he gets irritated with Michael's constant defiance when it comes to bath, eating, and doing other things he doesn't want to do. Stephanie 6 years old.

Stephanie is in the School Age stage, which takes place, according to Erikson, between 6 and 12 years of age. This is the latency stage and Stephanie is a good student at school, enjoys arts and crafts and is interested in learning new things. Stephanie is shy and she seems to get lost a bit in the family chaos. She is quieter than the other children and therefore appreciated by the parents whom are very gentle with her. Stephanie likes to play and hold Michael.

When she plays with him, it is a very quiet play -- sometimes with a book or a cuddly toy. Jennifer 8 years old. Jennifer is also in the School Age stage or latency stage. She is very talkative and also a good student. She is very social and always asking questions and talking about friends at school. She has a very big personality that is quite the opposite of Stephanie.

Jennifer talks about her teacher a lot, which signifies that she has a lot of respect for this teacher, which is common in this stage as parents become no longer the single authority for children. Jennifer also fawns over Michael, but she is more aggressive and loud in her play with him. Renata 34 years old. Renata is in the Young Adulthood stage of Erikson's developmental stages. This stage is about issues such as intimacy and solidarity vs. isolation.

Affiliation and love are some of the basic strengths associated with this stage. Renata is a lot like her daughter, Stephanie. Renata is quieter and appears busy all the time. She doesn't take much time to rest. This stage is about building family and relationships and meaningful relationships involving intimacy. Isolation and distance from others can occur if this stage isn't handled well. The most significant relationship will be with spouses and friends. Renata's life revolves around her family and she doesn't seem to have many friends.

Her relationship with her husband is more functional than anything else. There is little touch between the two and little talk that isn't about the family or money. Renata is a good mother who is always cooking, cleaning up, and taking care of the kids' needs. Miguel 37 years old. Miguel is in the stage of Middle Adulthood, which generally lasts from 35 to 55 or 65. This stage of ego development involves generativity and self-absorption or stagnation. The basic strengths associated with this stage are production and care.

Work is the most important aspect in this stage as is verified in Miguel. Issues regarding family are also very important and Miguel works long hours to provide for his family. He is committed to building a better life for them and when he comes home, he is the man in charge. He doesn't help much with the chores of the house, but he is loving toward his children and he tries to help the girls with homework while Renata tends to Michael and cooks.

Miguel seems very happy to have a son. Miguel seems to struggle with the fact that he has to work such long hours and he is paid a meager wage. His life as an immigrant from Mexico appears to take its toll on him more than anyone else in the family. Unit 8 Assignment: Comprehensive Health Assessment (Part 2). Again, the comprehensive health assessment will begin with the youngest and end with the oldest. Michael 2 years old. Michael is learning to speak Spanish. As mentioned, in the home, the family speaks Spanish.

Culturally speaking, Michael has not yet had to deal with cultural and social issues at large because he is an infant. Both Stephanie and Jennifer learned English at school, which is what Michael will do as well, although the girls do sometimes speak to him in English, so he may have an easier time picking it up. Jennifer 6 years old. Jennifer seems to be assimilating well into society as a Mexican-American.

She is darker skinned (as are all the children) and she has mentioned that the girls in her school all have long blonde hair, so she has noticed a difference in her appearance. Whether all the girls have lighter skin and hair is not known, but Jennifer has decided that she is different from them, which could be part of society at large making an impact on her.

The concern for Jennifer at this time is that she seems to by very shy for her age and she often cowers behind her mother as she seems wary of being asked questions. She tends to follow her mother as well from room to room as if she has some panic at the idea of being left alone or separated from her mother, even though other family members are nearby.

There is worry that Jennifer hasn't integrated into school as well as her older sister as she seems uncomfortable with talking about friends. She is a good student, however, but her school life seems to be a bit of a struggle. Stephanie 8 years old. Stephanie can best be described as happy-go-lucky as there isn't much that can bring her mood or spirits down. She is confident and talkative with everyone, from what has been witnessed. She has mentioned that she has a lot of friends at school, which.