Introduction
A family in crisis stands at the turning point when its members face health problems and lack the instruments to cope with stress. In the given family, Juanita Brown is a single mother with three children and her mother who needs ongoing care. The family has no health insurance and lives only for the support that is provided by the government. This paper aims to explore the factors that impact the family and suggest relevant nursing interventions.
Key Factors
Mrs. Brown’s family lives in a rural area that is often characterized by poor access to healthcare services and transportation challenges. The physical environment factor also includes the fact that the opportunity to receive a good job is restricted as the labor market seems to be underdeveloped. Among the biological factors that impact this family, there is a higher risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, and breast cancer due to genetic heredity.
In addition, the stress and depression of Juanita are the key psychological factors that show her suicidal thoughts since she cannot handle the situation. The non-availability of health coverage places this family in a vulnerable position, limiting their access to healthcare services (Barrett, Terry, Lê, & Hoang, 2016). Considering that Mrs. Brown’s mother has a range of diseases, this complicates the case. Although it was not mentioned directly, one may suggest that the family faces stigma from society. The absence of marketable skills, siblings, and a husband worsens the financial and psychological problems.
Crisis Situation and Interventions
They discussed situation is a family crisis that can be identified as the loss of job/livelihood and a clash of personality types. It is clear that the family lost a husband, and currently, it lacks money for satisfying the basic needs. At the same time, Mrs. Brown notes that she does not want to live anymore, which indicates that she does not see opportunities and personal strength for improving the situation. With this family, the community nurse should try to found alternative jobs for Mrs. Brown, which can be temporary.
Another option is to suggest obtaining training to develop new skills that would be demanded on the local market (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, & Robinson, 2018). The 18-year-old son can also take the responsibility and find a part-time job to support the family.
The crisis plan should be created by the community nurse and Mrs. Brown to identify the specific actions to be taken. First, there is an urgent need for her to receive psychological assistance, which can be achieved by using suicide hotline telephone numbers. Second, the family values and goals should be reviewed to determine short-term objectives and long-term perspectives (Kaakinen et al., 2018). All family members should understand their critical situation and accommodate their way of life to act in cooperation.
Third, the nurse can advocate for assistance from the local authorities to organize training for people who cannot find a job and lack relevant skills. The last suggestion refers to the larger problem when many families have to live in poverty. In this case, the nurse should act as an advocate and interact with other sectors and agencies to attract public attention. A special health coverage program can be designed to ensure that such families can meet at least basic health needs without being charged and increasing their debts.
Conclusion
To conclude, Mrs. Brown’s family faces the financial and personality clash crisis since it lives for governmental aid, while the only breadwinner thinks about suicide. The community nurse should help to facilitate the psychological tension and finding alternative employment options. At a larger scale, it is important to advocate for new health coverage programs and organize training courses if there are many families in the area that have similar challenges.
References
Barrett, A., Terry, D. R., Lê, Q., & Hoang, H. (2016). Factors influencing community nursing roles and health service provision in rural areas: A review of literature. Contemporary Nurse, 52(1), 119-135.
Kaakinen, J. R., Coehlo, D. P., Steele, R., & Robinson, M. (2018). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: FA Davis.