How can the nurse help the family maintain a state of equilibrium

Assignment Brief

In this paper, you are supposed to discuss and evaluate the family system and all the subsystems that affect the family along with all the aspects of it such as how the family unit copes, how the nurse can help the family maintain a state of equilibrium, etc. In addition to this, you have to implement Calgary Model in your assignment and then explain the features.

Instructions 

This clinical assignment focuses on the family system and all the subsystems that affect the family, how the family unit copes, and how the nurse can help the family maintain a state of equilibrium. In your text is an outline of the Calgary Model and how it helps in the interviewing and assessment of the family. Using this model as a guideline choose a family you know to help you complete this assignment; these should not be your own family. Be sure the family is well in that they are not dealing with a newly diagnosed chronic or acute illness. Families with long-standing chronic illnesses, such as controlled hypertension or diabetes, are acceptable. Do not choose a family with acute problems including acute psychiatric illnesses.

Contact the family and explain the project you need to complete and if they are willing to participate. Set up a meeting time to speak with family members who would be most helpful with this project. Have questions prepared concerning all of the subsystems that affect families including ethnic backgrounds, working status of family members, education, etc. You may need to meet with the family more than once. Using the family assessment summary in your text, complete a family assessment.
This assessment must include content on all of the subsystems discussed in class this semester as well as a genogram, a list of family diagnoses including strengths and problems (stressors) related to each diagnoses. Students will need to summarize their project by explaining how the family members and the family unit cope with any problems that may arise; are they able to maintain a state of equilibrium or are they having difficulty maintaining a functional system? What could be done to improve or help with coping of the identified problems? Could some of the coping mechanisms of one family help another family if similar problems exist?

Beyond the textbook, students should search for additional resources to help explain the subsystems of the families; for example, their response to illness may be based on cultural background or religious beliefs. Find resources to support this and explain fully.

Sample Answer

Family Assessment Using the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)

Introduction

The family is considered the fundamental unit of society, shaping health behaviours, coping mechanisms, and wellbeing. Nurses working with families must understand the complex interactions between individuals and subsystems within the family. The Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) provides a structured framework to assess families in three major categories: structural, developmental, and functional dimensions. This paper applies the CFAM to a selected family and evaluates how subsystems influence coping, resilience, and equilibrium.

Structural Assessment

The structural dimension of CFAM focuses on the family composition, internal relationships, and external supports. A genogram and ecomap are useful tools to visualise these structures.

• Internal Structure: The selected family consists of two parents (both employed), two children in school, and an elderly grandmother with controlled hypertension. Roles within the family are clearly defined, parents are primary decision-makers, while children are supported in education and extracurricular activities.

• External Structure: The family maintains close ties with extended relatives, neighbours, and their local faith community, which offers emotional and social support.

• Context: Ethnic background, middle-income status, and higher educational achievements of parents positively influence health behaviours and lifestyle choices.

Developmental Assessment

The developmental dimension evaluates the family’s life cycle stage and tasks.

• The family is in the “families with adolescents” stage. This involves balancing independence for teenagers while ensuring parental guidance.

• Normative tasks include supporting children’s educational progress, fostering independence, and planning for future transitions such as higher education.

• Non-normative challenges include caring for the grandmother with hypertension, which requires medication management and routine monitoring.

Functional Assessment

The functional dimension of CFAM evaluates how the family interacts, communicates, and copes with stress.

• Instrumental Functioning: Daily tasks such as meal preparation, childcare, and health management are well-coordinated. Parents share responsibilities, while children are encouraged to take part in chores.

• Expressive Functioning: Communication within the family is generally open and supportive, though generational differences (e.g., between adolescents and grandmother) sometimes cause minor conflicts.

• Coping and Equilibrium: The family maintains a healthy balance by relying on effective communication, spiritual beliefs, and social networks. Stressors such as managing hypertension are dealt with collectively, ensuring resilience.

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