A Family is a Group of Related Individuals

A family is a group of related individuals who share blood relations from a common ancestry and may live under one household. There are various family structures which include the nuclear, extended, single parent, and childless families. In this case, we will dwell on the most common family structure, which is the nuclear family.

The examined family is of African descent, of the Luo tribe in Kenya. It is a nuclear family comprised of a father aged 46, mother aged 39, and three children: two boys aged 19 and 12, and a girl aged 17.

The father, Mr. Olunga, is the head of the family, as is common in most African households who acknowledge the male as the family leader. He is the sole provider for the family and works at Delmonte Plant Factory as a fabricator and machine shop manager. Mrs. Olunga, the mother, is a teacher at a nearby local district primary school and assists with the day-to-day provision of family essentials. Their children—Okeyo, Ashley, and Kelvin—are all students. The family does not have any existing physiological and psychological health complications or any hereditary gene diseases.

The Olungas reside in a three-bedroom permanent residence in a gated estate at the Delmonte staff quarters. Their home is fenced and has an adjacent compound that the children can use as a playground. The financial situation of the family is solid enough to send the children to private schools and still maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Developmental tasks—tasks which arise at different developmental stages in life, such as learning how to walk in childhood to marrying in adulthood—are met by this family. For example, Okeyo and Ashley who are now in their teenage years, help out around the house and undertake chores even without parental supervision. This signals progressive maturity and responsibility, even though they sometimes act out, especially Ashley, who demands a lot of attention as she is at the peak of adolescence.

Fittingly, the Olunga family has taken proper preventive health measures. They have had their children immunized against all immunizable diseases from birth given their understanding of the benefits of early immunization. Like many adolescents worldwide, their teens grapple with self-esteem issues brought on by the complexities of this developmental stage. For instance, 17-year-old Ashley, right in the thick of adolescence, grapples with diminished self-esteem, often isolating herself in her room and lashing out at her siblings over minor issues. Every so often, the family gathers after dinner to chat, keeping the lines of communication open. In line with common patterns, Ashley communicates more freely with her mother, Okeyo with his father, and Kelvin with both, as is common with youngest children in families. These interactions enable the parents to bond with their children, allowing them to provide support and advice when needed. This process has strengthened their family unity.

In most African homes, decisions regarding family matters are made by the head of the family, often the father, with assistance from the mother. This is also the case in the Olunga family. The parents make the decisions with minimal input from the children. An example is sending the children to boarding school, which Okeyo and Ashley study at, even with rebellion from the two. There is no evidence of violence in the family between the parents; however, there is always a bit of sibling rivalry in any family with children, including the Olungas’. Ashley and Okeyo have fights at times, but this is sternly dealt with by their parents. For instance, once the two siblings had a fight and ended up receiving caning from their father. The parents also hold regular talks to discourage such behaviors and often tell the children to follow their examples and live peacefully.

In times of crisis, the family holds special meetings to come up with solutions on the way forward and the remedies to help fix the crisis they are experiencing. Being a religious and God-fearing family, the Olungas often pray in times of crisis and also being cultural adherents, they normally seek advice from an elder as it is done among the members of the Luo tribe in Kenya. In some communities in African societies, cultural activities and religious ties often tend to have a big bearing on one’s way of life, especially in a family setting. An example of these includes not going to hospitals since one’s religion does not allow scientific methods of healing, rather than waiting on God to heal the ill, or cultures that condone inhumane practices such as Female Genital Mutilation as a rite of passage that normally end up transmitting sexual diseases like AIDS, which can lead to death if not treated. The Olunga family does not let culture and religion affect their health or social status.

Goals are future targets that one hopes to achieve after a certain period of time. The Olungas’ objective in life is to live peacefully in the family and to always help each other in times of need. They also have a goal to build their own permanent residence a few years after Mr. Olunga’s retirement. The children’s goals include attending good universities, eventually finishing school, securing good jobs, and financially supporting their parents in all possible ways. There is no visible evidence of role conflict in the family due to the clearly outlined communication in the family and between the parents. In emergencies, the family has an insurance policy and a health cover under Mr. Olunga’s name in case of unforeseen situations such as an accident or health complications that may require immediate intervention. The family also has an emergency savings account that all the family members have access to, which will aid them whenever there is trouble and the parents are not around to help them financially in case of disasters or crisis.

A nursing diagnosis is a medical judgment affecting a human response to variables such as health conditions, life processes, or vulnerability for that response by an individual, a family, or a community in general. In the case of the previously assessed family, the Olungas are emotionally and mentally contented due to the regular family meetings and discussions that assist the parents in advising their children. Ashley, on the other hand, is likely to face low self-esteem issues and depression as a result of adolescence. The parents are likely to experience stress and general fatigue due to their work commitments, since both of them work diligently and overtime to sustain a comfortable life. They might occasionally miss crucial moments in their children’s growth process. As time progresses, the children are likely to become more distant from their parents and closer to each other due to their similar school schedules, which differ from their parents’ schedules.

A nursing care plan is a guideline providing direction on the type of nursing care a subject may require. Its primary objective is to assist the individual, family, or community with long-term solutions to lead a healthy life. For the teenagers, Okeyo and Ashley, regular counseling is advised. During this period, a child might feel the need to partake in vices such as drug and alcohol abuse, or engage in unprotected sexual intercourse due to peer pressure and negative influences from older individuals. They might also be susceptible to western life influences shown in movies and adult content such as pornography. The parents should monitor the children’s use of their electronic devices, such as phones and computers, and regulate the amount of time spent on social media and other electronic devices like television sets and PDAs. The parents should also take the initiative to spend more time with the children in various simple ways, like taking walks and playing mature games that instill a sense of responsibility. Assigning chores and tasks can keep the children busy and instill a positive work ethic in them.

For the parents, they should consider taking some time off work and may even embark on a trip together to relieve themselves from life’s pressures and the demands of working hard. They should also consider devoting time to physical exercises like running, aerobics, or even going to the gym to ease workplace tension and stress. Moreover, it promotes a healthy and active lifestyle for themselves and their children.

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