Heritage Assessment Tool
The interviewee is a 63-year-old woman; I will call her Mrs. N. She gave answers to some questions that allowed the evaluation of the family heritage in respect of health practices, which are used to maintain, protect, and restore health. The interviewee told about her actions aimed at health maintenance, health protection, health restoration approaches after the illnesses, particular health traditions, and her usual actions in case of illness.
The interview revealed that family health practices, which can be helpful for nurses because of family health attitudes, are useful for planning treatment interventions (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2015). In this interview, I have learned that Mrs. N. is a very responsible patient. She tries to stay active and takes long walks with her dog in the mornings and evenings to maintain her health. Also, she has been keeping a healthy diet for decades. To protect herself against seasonal diseases or age-related health changes, she passes regular examinations and visits her general physician for consultation because of every health-related issue. Moreover, she takes regular courses on vitamins and minerals. She takes all the prescribed medicine and controls her condition to restore health in case she is ill.
I can conclude that loves life and does her best to protect and maintain her health. For example, her habit of passing regular general examinations is very useful because it allows for resealing diseases in their initial stage, which provides a higher chance for a successful recovery. Probably, sometimes she is too concerned about her health, but her position gives its results. Thus, Mrs. N. does not look her age and feels better than her two younger brothers who do not care about their health.
Familial Health Traditions
The health traditions of a family are formed under the influence of its cultural heritage and frequently determine its members’ health behavior. The researchers agree that both national and cultural peculiarities influence the well-being and health of the population (Blair & McCormic, 2014). For this task, I have interviewed one of my relatives, who is an embodiment of familial health traditions rooted in the cultural and ethnic background.
Thus, Mr. J. is 73 years old. His grandfather was a Native American and a very influential family member. Consequently, health traditions in their family were formed under the influence of Native Americans’ tribal traditions. At present, the man does not trust contemporary medicine with its traditional professional healthcare practices and believes that chemicals used in pills are harmful. Thus, he prefers self-treatment instead of visiting a doctor.
The influence of Native American tradition resulted in specific familial health traditions. Of course, younger family members prefer traditional medicine in case of a severe illness. At the same time, they address the knowledge of ancestors in case of minor ailments. For example, my interviewee and some family members apply bark from the willow tree to soothe the pain. Overall, the use of herbs in treatment is a frequent practice, and it is typical of Native American traditions. Also, spiritual treatments should be mentioned as an important component of this health tradition because of the belief in the close connection between body and mind. Finally, the environment is another significant element of this familial health tradition because a human is closely related to nature. Overall, the major principle borrowed from the ethnic health tradition is the importance of balance in a person.
References
Blair, S.L., & McCormic, J.H. (Eds.). (2014). Family and health: Evolving needs, responsibilities, and experiences. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Kaakinen, J.R., Coehlo, D.P., Steele, R., Tabacco, A., & Hanson, S.M.H. (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice and research. (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.