Families who is experiencing a parent with breast cancer goes through difficult changes in their lives. During this difficult time there are many role changes. In most cases the child takes on the parenting role and the parent takes on the child role, becoming the needy or dependent family member. Task that are usually performed by the parent (cooking, cleaning, laundry) are now not done at all, done by someone outside the immediate family, or done by the child. Every family, like every patient is an individual unit with its own way of living and dealing with difficult situations, which can become dysfunctional (Harpham, 2001). Emotions are very abnormal in a household that is dealing with cancer. Sometimes the parent that is suffering from cancer emotions varies from day to day; sometimes having bad days and sometimes having good days. Also, the children that are taking care of the parent become stress out and their emotions vary as well. Even though, a disease like cancer brings trying times for all, the amount of stress level this sickness conveys is very high. Cancer brings a lot of confusion, anger and resentments to families that may have appeared to be “perfect” before the disease arrived. It is definite that cancer can turn a family’s life and world upside down. Most people, especially women move through life thinking there in control of their destiny. However, a diagnosis of cancer can dramatically disrupt our attitudes and lives. Not only the cancer patient, but also the whole family can feel vulnerable because cancer often forces a family to take a hard look at itself. The strength and weakness of a family shows themselves in the way family members get along with each other, communicate, con... ... middle of paper ... ...Overall, because of different situations one can feel out of control. Social concerns and family ties are unfortunately things that negatively impact the family life cycle. However, with a strong mind and much support a single young adult and a family can get through a crisis by all working together and helping each other out through though times. Impacts of the Family Life Cycle 9 References Goldman, Linda. (1999). Life and Loss: A guide to Help Grieving Children. Singapore: Taylor and Francis Group. Harpham, Wendy. (2001). When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children . New York: HarperCollins Press McCue, Kathleen and Bonn, Rue. (1996). How to help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Shirman, Joan. (2003). Critical Issues in Child Welfare. New York: Columbia University Press.
Care in of the patient in context of family stems from a theory developed by Von Bertalanffy which asserts the relationships between family members are so intertwined that changes in one member can affect other family members (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 62.). The theory further establishes the needs
Callaghan, Erin. "Achieving Balance: A Case Study Examination of an Adolescent Coping With Life-Limiting Cancer." 24.6 (2007): 334-339. Print. .
Also, the whole family needs to come to term with the health condition, make change in priorities and schedule, and keep the family. For example, it can be much more stressful for a young or a newly married couple because they may have more experience to overcome life's difficulties. As a result, as with individual maturation, family development can be delayed or even revert to a previous level of functioning (Hockenberry, p 762.) Therefore, health care providers need to apply family development theory while planning care for a child and family with chronic health condition. Indeed, family centered care should be a part of that intervention. Parents and family members have huge and comprehensive caregiving responsibilities for their chronically ill child at home or at hospital. Moreover, the main goal taking care of chronic ill child is to “minimize the progression of the disease and maximize the child’s physical, cognitive, psychological potential” (Hockenberry, p 763). Therefore, it is essential to family being part of the child care to give highest quality of care. On the other hand, we are as a part of the health care provider need to give attention to all
Friedman, M. M., Bowden, V. R., & & Jones, E. G. (2003). Family nursing: Research, theory,
“When someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone who loves them does, too.” – Terri Clark
In conclusion, cancer is a disease that has impacted millions of people throughout history and the world. With the assistance of medical professionals; early, professional, and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and mental/ emotional support of family members, friends, and doctors, the emotional impact of cancer can become much more bearable.
A cancer diagnosis can significantly change your life and the lives of your family in various ways. Hearing the news “you’ve been diagnosed with cancer” leave patients and their families in a whirlwind of emotions. The initial shock of this diagnosis leaves feelings of sadness, denial, frustration, confusion, fear, anger, and often times the “why me?” feeling. Thoughts start going through your head regarding how this affects yourself, your family, and your everyday life.
One fateful day at the end of June in 1998 when I was spending some time at home; my mother came to me with the bad news: my parent's best friend, Tommy, had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He had been sick for some time and we all had anxiously been awaiting a prognosis. But none of us were ready for the bumpy roads that lay ahead: testing, surgery, chemotherapy, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Even loud music would induce vomiting. He just felt all around lousy.
Unresolved issues often follow the parent-child relationship into adulthood. The true balance of the parent-child relationship shifts several times. Children gain maturity and create their own families and then, in the normal course of life, care for their parents as they grow older and need assistance. Sometimes, death robs adult children of the final stage of the parent-child relationship. Sometimes, issues remain unresolved after a parent has died. Being robbed of the final normal...
The book is written by Pamela Tucker Burton, an ordinary person who experienced the death of four family members, she shares her experiences and how a family stay positive, when they faced a deadly disease. In Pamela’s family were no cancer survivors, there were no encouraging sentiments to alleviate their pain. For a family with strong Christian beliefs the only healing and strength for their family was to pray, don’t be afraid and be spiritually prepared for the final journey.
The family structure is made up of individuals living together in intimate groups with the purpose of caring and supporting each other. Rules and boundaries, spoken and unspoken, are developed by the family members. Family rules and boundaries change and shift over time in order to evolve and grow as a family unit. Some changes are subtle, but some events force major change within the family system. This paper applies the concepts of systems theory to the family system in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Reese Witherspoon (Melanie Smooter) and Josh Lucas (Jake Perry) star in this heart-warming film telling a story of a young woman who flees from Alabama to reinvent herself in New York City as a high fashion designer. She leaves behind her redneck husband and white-trash upbringing. Melanie finds herself engaged to the cities most eligible bachelor and has to return to Alabama to request a divorce from her first love and confront her past ("Alabama," 2002).
According to Richard Charles (2001) “the effectiveness of family systems theory rests not much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory” (p. 279). Bowen’s family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and is a theory of human behavior. Systems thinking are used to describe the complex interactions in the unit. However, the client’s ability to differentiate himself/herself from the family of origin is the basis for Bowen’s family systems theory. In addition, the primary focus for growth within the emotional system is differentiation of self. Differentiation of self will be explored as well as how it relates to a church congregation.
Papadatou, D., & Bellali, T. (2002). Greek nurse and physician grief as a result of caring for children dying of cancer. Pediatric Nursing, 28(4), 345-53, 363-4. doi: 2003016885
When one hears the word “cancer”, thoughts about how their previous life is about to change cloud the mind, but when one hears the word cancer for their child, it is a whole different outlook; the affects of childhood cancer are not only taken on by the patients, but also by their families; the affects can range from emotionally to physically, socially to financially, and even educationally. “Childhood cancer is considered rare, especially compared with adults. Still it’s the leading cause of death in children pre-adolescent, school-aged children” (Report: Childhood Cancer Rates Continue to Rise, but Treatment Helps Drive Down Deaths). Around 12,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year and around one in five children that are diagnosed with cancer will die.
The television sitcom Modern Family produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd shows the many different types of a modern American family. According to Andrew Hampp, “The show is among the most-viewed scripted programs in prime time in its second season, averaging 11 million viewers during original airings and often ranked as the most DVRed program most weeks” (2). The television show is a frequently watched show and is liked by many viewers. Modern Family's storyline helps the families of viewers by being an influential and relatable show to different types of families. The show is about the lives of three different families that are all related. In the show there are Jay and Gloria, an intergenerational couple with two sons-- Manny (from Gloria’s previous relationship) and Joe, their new baby. Jay’s adult son Cameron is married to his gay partner Mitchell, and they adopted Lily from Vietnam. Finally, Jay’s daughter Claire is married to her heterosexual partner named Phil and they have three children. The show is influential to our culture today because it shows these different types of families and addresses controversial themes such as gay adoption, the different family connections and communications, intergenerational coupling, and acceptance of diversity within an extended family. The family is easy to relate to while watching because it is based off of real family situations.