“Family can be defined as a biological entity, as a legal entity, or as a social network with personally constructed ties and ideologies” (Potter, Perry, Ross-Kerr, & Wood, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact a chronic illness can have on a family’s life and how to best intervene as a nurse. Our paper will be developed by addressing the struggles faced dealing with an Autistic child in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Matalon, Ohlsson, Teper,& Hallstrom, 1993) and how it affects the family, Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) priorities, Calgary Family Intervention Model (CFIM), and the rationale behind both the movie and CFAM/CFIM. It can be seen through the development of the paper that a chronic illness can cause tension within a family; therefore by developing a therapeutic relationship nurses are able to provide support to these families when facing adversity.
Summary of Chronic Illness in Gilbert Grape
In the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Matalon et. al, 1993) the family is dealing with the chronic illness Autism. “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder that dramatically affects the lives of patients and their families and the broader community.” (Altevogt, Hanson, & Leshner, 2008) Autism controls this family’s physical, psychological and social well-being. “Parents of children with Autism experience a variety of chronic and acute stressors that can erode family functioning.” (Solomon & Chung, 2012). Depicted through the film, Autism can physically strain the family members. Since Arnie is not going to school or working the family needs to take on the extra responsibility of caring for him; therefore, adding to the rest of the tasks they must do on a daily basis. “Oft...
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...ic relationship with the Grape family and providing them with information about these programs and resources that exist, it can help empower them into taking action and work on improving meaningful verbal communication with Arnie and the rest of the family.
In conclusion, “families are as diverse as the individuals that composed them.” (Potter et. al, 2006). This has been discussed through a summarization of Autism in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Matalon et. al, 1993) and how it affects the family, CFAM priorities, CFIM, and the rationale behind both the movie and CFAM/CFIM. Through the correlation of this development we will incorporate what we have learned into our future practices. Concluded by the development of this paper, nurses are able to alleviate some stress caused by a chronic illness within a family, by creating a trusting and therapeutic relationship.
How far would a parent go to ensure the comfort of their child? What if the child had a mental disability? Children with autism can be difficult to deal with and it can be easy to misconstrue a parent’s intentions toward their disabled child. According to Petra Kuppers’s essay “Dancing Autism: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Bedlam,” an autistic child has a, “distanced view of the rules that make up love, relationships, need, and care,” and therefore can be more challenging to raise (Kuppers 193). Christopher is one such example of an autistic child. In Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher’s father is portrayed in a negative light, but actually proves himself to be an outstanding father.
Giving others who do not suffer from autism or caregivers an insight on how the individual may be feeling and what they are going through. This book can also help numerous medical professionals such as speech-language pathologists and pediatric doctors. As Grandin stated in the book that not all sufferers act, think, and feel the same so this novel may not be beneficial to readers who are looking for information on a wide scale of individuals who suffer from the illness. She also stated that there is no cure for autism, however some medications can help with some symptoms such as depression or anxiety. What intrigued me the most about Grandin was that she never gave up and worked on her social skills. Not only did she became a spokesperson for autism, but also became a professor at Colorado State University in which both require public speaking and being comfortable in front of people.
Overall the movie illustrated that having to care for someone suffering with a mental illness is no easy job and it will bring in many other issues as well. No matter the social, psychological and social impact that a chronic illness can have on a family, ______________. Through nursing interventions, action can be taken to address priorities to decrease caregiver burden and to strengthen roles and alliances within a family. Interventions such as communication, commendations and positive encouragement can create a more positive environment for the family. Throughout the movie Gilbert proved that he was willing to sacrifice his self-independence in return for the good of Arnie and his family.
This Clinical Research Paper defines autism, the various impacts of the disorder, and the theories that can be applied to this type family dynamic. The basis of this research project stems from the semi- structured interviews that Ashley Hartmann conducted. She studied half on the perspectives of the siblings and that of the parent’s perspective and discovered various themes that arose from this study. In findings a total of 12 themes emerged between the siblings and parents; in the sibling interviews; knowledge of Autism, affect on relationships, feelings of sibling’s autism diagnosis, future care for sibling, meaning, acceptance and advice and extended family. In the parent’s interviews, feelings around autism, knowledge around autism, life changes, affect on relationships, support systems and acceptance, meaning and advice. She also highlights the stress that affects the family system, but also reveals the many resources and services to better assist these individuals and their family.
The goal of the CFAM is for the nurse to openly discuss family issues, provide insight to families from an outside perspective, and guide them towards their own problem solving tactics. CFAM allows families and nurses to develop a plan of care that is mutually agreed upon. The following paper illustrates a family assessment completed using the CFAM and applies nursing diagnoses and interventions relevant to the family’s current issues (Wright & Leahey, 2013). Family Description The family discussed includes a father (M.M.).
Mrs. Farrington was constantly worrying about allowing him out of the house or be with other kids. The hospital constantly kept correcting this behavior by stating that she needs to allow him to be like other kids but sometimes it was her first instinct to prevent hospitalization. Mainly Cody is hospitalized due to weight loss or to clean mucus out of his lungs completely. Unlike Mrs. Farrington who has to deal with the medical treatments daily, her husband is in more denial. When Cody becomes sick he understands to call the hospital but Mr. Farrington has no understanding of Cody’s medicine and such. Though studies have shown that children who are cared by their mother recover faster and are discharged earlier, Mr. Farrington behavior is very concerning (Family-Centered Care and the Pediatrician’s Role, 692). He avoids the topic overall by working constantly. Mrs. Farrington finds this behavior to be strange because if something negative happened to her, Mr. Farrington needs to know these treatments, so they aren’t neglected or performed incorrectly. However, this arrangement between the parents is not very healthy because the stress of Cody condition is completely Mrs. Farrington burden. This makes Mrs. Farrington struggle giving her other children the fair attention they deserve as
ASD individuals may find it hard to communicate and socialize with others around them. However, because each child is unique, they have their own unique abilities and ways of responding to new experiences. Other issues children with ASD have include; anxiety, sleeping problems, and learning disabilities. Those who are diagnosed with ASD or any other disability are usually judged and bullied. In the documentary Violet’s mother says she is afraid of her child being labeled and underestimated because she is diagnosed with autism. A child’s disability can also affect their family members. Family members may have a difficult time understanding and getting to know the autistic child in order to provide for them. They struggle to find interventions such as treatment and therapy for them, the right medical care, and trying learn to cope with all this. At times parents and caregivers can also feel stressed or irritated knowing they have to fulfill all of the child’s needs. Siblings on the other hand, may find it unfair that the autistic child gets the most attention and
Unfortunately, a lot of parents may have a difficult time accepting their child, and coping with their needs and the responsibilities. From the book “The Elephant in the Playroom,” some families dealt with depression and physical and mental deterioration of their health. These struggles were shown in the story by Laura Cichoracki. Laura’s son’s name was Patrick. Patrick was a 6-years-old boy with autism. “I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t showering regularly, I wasn’t sleeping well” (Brodey, p. 64). I also read the story told by Susan Marrash-Minnerly, which highlighted emotions that parents face. Susan also shed light on how wonderful children with special needs can be to a family, such as her ten-year-old third grader who had autism. Susan talked about how it was normal to feel angry at times, especially with the ups and downs a child’s disability may come with. “When I look back, I want to tell other parents that a child’s future is worth grieving over – but it’s not the end of the world” (Brodey, p. 75). After reading these stories, it became apparent to me that families who are raising kids with special needs, need support, kindness, and available resources. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by other moms who understood my pain…who could be supportive and emphatic.” (Brodey, p. 67). Overall, educators can use this kind of information that was shared in “The Elephant in the Playroom” about family systems and risk/resiliency by creating lines of open communication between families. This is to connect parents together that share similar struggles. By creating open communication is can allows for the teacher and parents to be on the same page when it comes to the issues affecting special needs students and
Two potential barriers to the Patient-Family Centered Care model are time and patient/family expectations. Nursing is a demanding job that is known for it's fast paced and often hectic environment. While caring for several patients at a time, it might be difficult to make time to discuss and involve patients and their family in all aspects of their care. This could lead to the patient/family feeling left out or even lead to fear about why information if being kept from them. To address this barrier I will set aside time to spend with each of my patients solely dedicated to discussion about the care they are receiving as well as provide an opportunity to voice questions and concerns.
Families with a member suffering from any illness may be stressful enough but families with members diagnosed with schizophrenia are often faced with additional challenges such as the “external stressors of social stigma, isolation, and emotional frustration”. Many times, family conflicts arise as members attempt to provide care on an everyday basis (Chien, 2010, pg. xi). “A Beautiful Mind” is a brilliant motion picture directed by Ron Howard that chronicles the life of one John Nash, a prominent mathematician and the challenges he endures throughout his adult life afflicted with a chronic mental illness. “A Beautiful Mind” allows us to gain insight into the stressors that many families undergo when faced with living with a person with schizophrenia. This paper will explore the impact of schizophrenia on the lives of the Nash family as depicted in the aforementioned movie. Exploring the impact of the disease on the Nash family’s life will be followed with a discussion regarding an assessment conducted of the family, through the use of the Calgary Family Assessment model. Conducting the assessment allowed us to determine two nursing priorities, and nursing interventions in relation to them through the use of the Calgary intervention model. Essentially it becomes evident that the challenges faced by the Nash family are in the functional domain. The families inability to effectively communicate and problem solve becomes evident, which is negatively impacting the families ability to function effectively. Our nursing interventions guided by the Calgary Nursing Intervention Model will focus on providing the Nash family with the support needed to bring about change in the affective domain in foster effective communication with the famil...
Autism is a condition that affects a child’s brain functioning. It is a prevalent developmental disorder, which appears in children before the age of three. A child with autism is not able to express their needs like any other normal child because, this disorder affects their ability to communicate and interact with others. Therefore, this leaves parents and caregivers to play a guessing game on what specifically the child maybe asking for. However, when they cannot establish what exactly the child needs, both parties feel frustrated, the child and the caregiver. The child will feel that the caregiver is not taking care of his/her needs while the caregiver will be frustrated because, he/she cannot be able to determine exactly what the child wants. A child with autism can be frustrated to an extent of becoming aggressive, and even injuring him/herself and this can threaten the child’s life, and that of the entire family.
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears within the first three years of a child’s life. It affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Autism affects 1 out of 68 children. It is also the fastest growing disability in the United States. There are multiple types of Autism, some children are considered high functioning, and some are low functioning. “High functioning” is when a child with autism can function in life, and completes jobs, and chores with little to no help. “Low functioning” is when a child with autism cannot complete simple daily tasks without help, and (or) constant supervision.
The intent of this interview was discussed with the family, namely, how the data would be used to discuss family experiences for an assignment in Family and Societal Nursing for RNs at State University. Most importantly, I mentioned to the family that I hoped to provide them with interventions and support to...
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that effects the brains development. It is characterized by affecting communication, cognition and social interaction. The spectrum of the disorders ranges from a mild condition called Asperger’s syndrome to a more severe form, which severely impairer’s development. The Office of Communications and Public Liaison states that the disorder affects one and eighty-eight children, however ASD effects boys more frequently than girls (Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 2013). ASD emerges in all age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The significant varied character and severity of the disorder is why ASD is considered a spectrum that poses a broad range of symptoms.
In health care, there are many different approaches throughout the field of nursing. When considering the field of family nursing, there are four different approaches to caring for patients. This paper will discuss the different approaches along with a scenario that covers that approach. The approaches that will be discussed include family as a context, family as a client, family as a system, and family as a component to society. Each of these scenarios are approach differently within the field of nursing.