Case study of maternal health and financial hardship in a family

Nursing Case Study

Family nursing diagnosis is a holistic process that involves a thorough and complete family assessment to establish both curative and preventive concerns in a given family. The assessment from the participating family established a number of diagnostic issues. One of the family members suffers from obesity. D.K. who is ten years old and in second grade took two years to complete first grade. Obesity is a condition whereby the Body Mass Index (BM1) is over 30kg/m2. This is because of excess fat accumulation in a person's body. The Body Mass Index BM1, is the measure for obesity, and it is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by his/her height in square meters.

Obesity may be associated with the several of medical conditions like heart attack, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and some types of cancer (Domino, 2007). Major causes of obesity are lack of physical exercises and poor diet. One of the measures that counter it is ensuring that a person does many physical exercises. A person should also ensure that the diet does not contain a lot of sugars and fats. Intake of foods rich with fiber like whole bread, vegetables and fruits should be encouraged. Obesity has increased among children and adolescents from low income families than from children and adolescents from high-income families.

The two children both D.K and A.G. demonstrate poor education performance. The fact that D.K. went through 2 years in first grade illustrate that his education performance is below average. This is also clearly illustrated the continual tutoring which her grandparents pays. A.G. At the age of 5 years continues to master letters and numbers, a skill that most of her peers manage without difficulties. Several factors lead to poor school performance and quite often food, and nutrition play a significant role. Growing children require well balance diet to cater for their formation and growth needs (Katz & Friedman, 2008). One of the hindrances to the provision of a healthy diet to a family is lack of good and consistent family income. Poor family structures affect children emotionally and psychologically. The two children belong to different fathers, and A.G. already has trouble due to transitions, that rise from moving back and forth from the mother's house to the father's house.

A number of interventions can help the family deal with the obesity problem. The affected person needs to put in diet management program. The objective of the program is educating the affected person on the dangers of the condition (Katz & Friedman, 2008). The program should seek to correct the unhealthy feeding and lifestyles. Monitoring of the affected person's progress is essential to help determine if there is positive progress. The other required intervention is on ensuring that the family members receive a balanced diet. The diet should comprise of the correct portions of each food category to meet the daily calorie requirements. The family should seek of ideal means of ensuring family values are part of the family structure. D.K. has no contact with the father and the issue can silently affect her. On the issue of A.G., the family can make better arrangements that involve how both parents' visits the child without the child necessarily moving from one house to the other.

Watson theory significantly influence and affect clinical thought and action in a number of ways. Watson theory argues that patients nursing and human caring needs should be on the principles of love, kindness and concerns. Those who offer human care should develop sensitivity to these values and should exercise them regardless of the individual's religion, gender or race. Watson engages the role of transpersonal values in curative service where faith and hope participate in healing of the patient's. In the theory, harmonization of the functioning of the body, mind and spirit is crucial in curative extend beyond human understanding. Human caring must integrate and prioritize the patient's needs and health goals. A holistic approach that involves the community interconnections is ideal for the provision of protective environment (Katz & Friedman, 2008).

In the implementation of appropriate interventions, it is crucial to address various legal and ethical issues. A look at this family reveals that the two children belong to different fathers. Arrangements to involve both fathers in the lives of the two girls respectively require legal redress. Grandparent participation in the providence for the two children is informal and may require formalization through legal mechanisms. Behavior change, which leads to lifestyle interventions sometimes, involves consideration of ethical issue. Poor family income may force the family to participate in unethical methods to earn a living.

Community health nurse stands an exceptionally good chance of encouraging family members to become partners of their own health. They manage to interact with family members, which provide a platform whereby they can educate family members on different issues that pertains food, nutrition and diseases (Katz & Friedman, 2008). They can be able to organize individualized programs that assess monitor and promote healthy behavior and lifestyles. Family structures and roles are essential in management of the entire family's health. For example, in many communities fathers have the greatest responsibility in the provision of family needs. The absence of a father due to whatever reason brings a lot of deprivation to the family necessities such food. In the participating family, single parent J.K. brought up the said family. According to my values, I do not advocate for single parent families, not unless death forced the circumstances. Again, the idea of children in one family being the father by different fathers does not look quite impressive. The idea can bring unhealthy competition between the two children in the circumstance where each father take responsibility of his child.