NURSING IS FAMILY AND EATING DISORDERS

During week 5 of NURS 2001, there was a discussion about family and the role families have on the profession of nursing. The definition of family is unique to everybody and it is important to keep in mind that family is what the patient says it is. However, if I was to describe what family means to me, it would mainly include those who I am connected to by blood, but also those who have been present in my life for a significant amount of time, someone I have built trust with, who supports and wants the best for me, and who is by my side through life’s hardships and successes. The presence and absence of family have a huge impact on health as it affects what people experience, how they are cared for, and how they are supported during a life-altering situation. I can personally connect to this statement as I feel my family was a positive piece to my healing experience during a personal issue I faced. However, I understand this is not the case for all individuals and it is why I chose to talk about this topic. In terms of relational practice, patient and family well-being is one of the three core orientations that make up this concept. By relating back to relational inquiry concepts, there are a variety of models that help guide me in helping families to have a positive role in their loved one’s health. Some of these models include; the TOGETHER model, the person-centred practice framework, and Bill 41 or the patient's first act. These supports can help clarify issues such as caregiver role strain, how to be involved in a family member’s care, and address competing interests and priorities between family members. In an article written by Arabiat and colleagues (2018), these authors made it clear that family-centred care provides benefits in terms of improving health and well-being, improved satisfaction, greater efficiency and better communication between the patient, family, and nurses. However, in terms of pediatric cases, the interpretation of family-centred care is skewed in that the parents became the care recipient and the child was lost (Arabiat et al., 2018). Through this finding, it was suggested that nurses should be aware of this power dynamic and address how the parents view the unit of care and how each member fits in (Arabiat et al., 2018). Nguyen and team members (2017) go on to discuss person and family-centred care in terms of mental health rehabilitation. After studying health care models regarding the transition from youth to adult mental health care services, it was suggested that without active participation from the individual and their families, developmental needs and personal goals were more difficult to obtain during this transition process (Nguyen et al., 2017). I share a story that aligns similarly to this article as I was able to successfully overcome anorexia all thanks to my mother. Without her dedication and commitment to relieving me from my illness, I do not know where I would be today. She is the reason I was able to get help, attend appointments regularly, and participate in my treatment plan in the comfort of my own home. However, this leaves me pondering a question I struggle to find an answer to, and that is; when do we speak up to someone else’s suffering when they are in the absence of family?

References

Arabiat, D., Whitehead, L., Foster, M., Shields, L., & Harris, L. (2018). Parents' experiences of Family Centred Care practices. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 42, 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2018.06.012

Nguyen, T., Embrett, M. G., Barr, N. G., Mulvale, G. M., Vania, D. K., Randall, G. E., & DiRezze, B. (2017). Preventing Youth from Falling Through the Cracks Between Child/Adolescent and Adult Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review of Models of Care. Community Mental Health Journal, 53(4), 375–382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0098-7