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Essay Instructions: Family Assessment Rubric - will be sent
Sample Paper for family assessment will be sent

Family Assessment

Family Centered Nursing - health care that focuses on the health of the family as a unit, as well as the maintenance and improvement in the health and growth of each person in the unit. The recipient of care is the family itself (Harkreader, 2000).

Three beliefs that underlie the family-centered approach to the nursing process:
1. All individuals must be viewed within their family context
2. Families have an impact on individuals
3. Individuals have an impact on families

What is a Family?
? Two or more people who are emotionally involved with each other and live closely together (may be unrelated either biologically or legally) (Friedman, 1992).
? A family is whom the family says it is ? a set of relationships that the client defines as family, may be biological or legal or social ties.
? A family involves commitment over time.
Family Forms
Social trends affect families
There is a decline in traditional families
Divorce rate is over 50%
1. Nuclear family
2. Extended family (multigenerational)
3. Single parent family
4. Adoptive family
5. Foster family
6. Blended family
7. Alternate patterns of relationships
? Communal
? Homosexual

Family Theories ? used to explain the dynamics of family relations; gives a conceptual approach to family assessment.
1. Family developmental theory-stages of the family throughout its generational life cycle, divided into 8 stages (Duvall)
? Married couple without children
? Early childbearing family
? Family with preschool children
? Family with school age children
? Family with teenagers
? Family launching young adults
? Family in middle years (empty next to retirement)
? Family in retirement and old age
2. General systems theory
? Family is viewed as a social system existing and interacting with larger systems of the community
? The family is goal directed
? Can be open or closed
? An open family is healthy because there are interactions within the family and the external environment. As the needs of its members change, the family can adjust to maintain harmony and balance. When the open family system loses its balance, outside help can assist in its stabilization
? A closed family excludes others, functions in isolation, and is a pathological model (abusive family, family has secrets)
These models can be used in assessment by looking at what developmental stage the family is in and whether the family is an open or closed system and what type of support or input is available to the family.

Family Tasks ? described by Duvall and Miller as tasks that the family must accomplish in order to contribute to the mental health or mental illness of family members.
? Physical maintenance and safety (food, clothing, shelter, health care)
? Allocation of resources: meeting family needs and costs, provision for education
? Division of labor
? Socialization of family members: transmits beliefs, values, attitudes and coping mechanisms
? Reproduction and release of family members
? Maintenance of order, authority and decision making
? Placement of members into the larger society
? Maintenance of motivation and morale; meeting personal and family crises, refining a philosophy of life and family loyalty through rituals, nurturing and support of members

Parenting Styles ? 3 types
? Authoritarian ? obedience is expected
? Authoritative ? ultimate authority, yet some negotiation and compromise allowed
? Permissive ? little or no control over child?s behavior, rules are inconsistent and unclear
Assessment
Structure ? how the family is organized
Roles ? who does what
Power ? how are decisions made
Communication ? processes
Functions ? how does the family accomplish its tasks and goals
Resources ? ability to meet financial needs, support
Diagnosis
Compromised family coping
Disabled family coping
Ineffective family therapeutic regimen
Interrupted family processes
Readiness for enhanced family coping

Planning
? Needs to be negotiated, collaborative, and realistic
? Goal is to assist family to optimal functioning
? Considers developmental stage
? Incorporates family goals

Interventions (examples)
? Acknowledge feelings
? Explore coping skills
? Limiting the source of the problem
? Explore solutions
? Give options
? Role model
? Identify destructive behaviors
? Collaborate with other disciplines
? Support communication between family members
? Assist in problem solving
? Support conflict resolution
? Assist in the use of internal and external resources
? Provide health care information
? Provide health promotion information
? Assist family to identify strengths
? Encourage journaling to record activities
? Support role of caregiver
? Assist with role changes
? Assist with respite care
? Assist family to obtain services such as housecleaning, legal and financial services, home health care, hospice, food services

Evaluation

Essay Instructions: Family to Family - Pipes & Lee (1999)

1. ABSTRACT. Summarize what you have read, boiling the book down into 300 words (1 page). Prove you comprehend the readings by writing a no-nonsense summary. The abstract is not a commentary or listing of topics but rather an objective summary from the reader's viewpoint. Abstract equals “boiled down.” This section should include a minimum of 2 footnotes to the text being reviewed.

2. CONCRETE RESPONSE. Get vulnerable! In no less than 150 words and no more than 1 page, relate a personal life experience that this book triggered in your memory. Relate your story in first person, describing action, and quoting exact words you remember hearing or saying. In the teaching style of Jesus, this is a do-it-yourself parable, case study, confession. You will remember almost nothing you have read unless you make this critical, personal connection. What video memory began to roll? This is your chance to tell your story and make new ideas your own.

3. REFLECTION. This is the critical thinking part of the review (not critical in the sense of negative, but in the sense of questioning). In no less than 150 words and no more than 1 page, describe what questions pop up for you in response to what you have read. Keep a rough-note sheet at hand as you read. Out smart the author by asking better questions than he/she raised in the book. Tell how the author could have made the book better or more appealing to those in your field of service. One way to begin this section is by stating what bothered you most about the book. This is not a place to provide an endorsement or affirmation of the book.

4. ACTION. So what are you going to do about it? In no less than 2??"3 page and no more than 7 pages for your entire paper.provide 3 action steps that describe what actions or changes you are going to make in your life, ministry, and/or work as a result of your reading. Action steps should be measurable and reveal a commitment to specific time, specific people, and identified steps.

There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: Family Health Paper 4-6 page paper describing American health care systems, and the impact these systems have on family health. A minimum of 5 references must be utilized-current within the past 5 years=2 references provided are Edelman, C. & Mandle, C. L. (2010). Health promotion throughout the lifespan (7th ed.). St. Louis. MO: Mosby Co. and Rowe Kaakinen, J. Gedaly-Duff, V., Padgett-Coehlo, D., & Hanson, S.M., (2010) Family health care nursing: Theory practice & research (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis ISBN 978-0-8036-2166-4. Content 1st level Headings centered and bold and subheadings left and bold 1) Describe the average family living in the United States. Include family structure, characteristics, roles, tasks, and dynamics. 2) Describe current health systems available in the United States and how they offer care to families. 3) Describe barriers to the family health and well being. 4) Describe the role of the nurse in caring for families. APA Criteria: Organization-Includes introduction, body, conclusion. Logical sequencing or flow.

Essay Instructions: Family Law: Critical essay

paper must be double-spaced, times new roman, 12 pt. font, in full-length of 6 pages(275 words per page)

The only textbook that should be used for this research paper in gathering information/examples is: Areen, Judith Family Law: Cases & Materials 4th ed., Foundation Press: NY,NY (1990)

Use these these 3 Chapters ONLY:
Chapter 1: Marriage
Chapter 2: Marrying
Chapter 3: Divorce

Recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and the current policy of the City of San Francisco have extended privacy rights to gays and Lesbians.

This has resulted in oppositional critism arguing that the extension will lead to increased liberalization of policies in other areas of family.

Using cases and the material from the textbook, please address this debate and discuss IF TO WHAT EXTENT the state should regulate family privacy.

When arguing on the debate of gays and lesbians use supporting information and provide examples from cases in above 3 chapters provided.

Critique from your own opinion by providing facts, decisions , concurrent arguements, and main pts of CASES.

*can include constitutional clauses along with cases to support arguements.

This should be a critical essay that should include all supportive facts, and examples with some opinions.

Make sure to have supporting evidence of why you have certain opinions on these such cases that pertain to gays and lesbians with the 3 categories of marriage, marrying, and divorce.

Forgot to include sections and pgs. to get info. frm:

Chapter 1: Marrying

Restrictions on who may marry:pgs. 2-46

Constitutionality of marriage restrictions:pgs. 46-48
- Loving v. Virginia

Chapter 2: Marriage

Marriage and the Law pgs. 95-101

Other views on marriage and the family pgs. 102-136

Encroachments on the doctrine of family privacy pgs. 325-350
- Property Law

Chapter 3: Divorce

Traditional Fault Grounds & Defenses pgs. 350-371

No Fault Divorce pgs. 371-398

Covenent Marriage and Divorce pgs. 398

Annulments and Seperations 407-408