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Running head: THE ROLE OF NUSRING WITH FAMILIES
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THE ROLE OF NUSRING WITH FAMILIES
The Role of Nursing with Families
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
Nurses give holistic care to clients and not just to patient as it has been in the tradition but to families of the sick. Even in the early days of Florence Nightingale, there were instances where she would follow the wounded soldiers to their homes and check on their environment of recovery. In Canada today, family challenges are some of the causes of many health problems that citizens face (American Diabetes Association. 2015). It may not necessarily mean that a victim is having a pathological condition but the issues that may be attributed to that family from the disease process may the stressors that lead to illness for the rest of the family. A nurse therefore plays some very central roles in the lives of these clients given that the objectives of nursing as a discipline revolve around curative, preventive and palliative care. It is thus significant in the current date and time to amplify the necessity of a family nurse, with regards to the nursing roles, in managing some of the most common family conditions such as diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes Mellitus in the Family
Diabetes type II can be well managed and a victim of the disease in the family can live a longer life of quality. The challenge with sugar is mainly brought about by lifestyle and in some cases contributed by genotypes. Regardless of the underlying cause of diabetes, its symptoms are life threatening and not unless they are well managed at the right time; it can easily cause death within a shorter span of time (American Diabetes Association. 2015). It is a condition that co-exists with hypertension in many circumstances. A diabetic patient can readily die from hypoglycemia, hypertension or hypothermia secondary to dehydration. In most instances, it is common to find a diabetic patient with hypertensive drugs and insulin to help manage the chronic condition.
Diet therapy, amongst the diabetics, is the major determinant of the quality of life that these patients are likely to lead. A nutritionist usually gives the guidelines on what the diabetics are required to eat and in what proportions. Being that they are specialist and mostly use jargons in their prescriptions, it is the nurse to effectively implement the contribution of nutritionist in the care by explanation (Carter, Gomes, Camacho, Juurlink, Shah, & Mamdani, 2013). The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus originates from insufficiency of insulin in the body to convert excess glucose to glycogen for storage in the liver. The little or no insulin is usually due to destruction of Islets of Langahern cells of pancreas or hormonal complications originating from the hypothalamus and failing to relay production of insulin.
Given that the condition is chronic and its crisis episodes can be seriously life threatening, its effective management has often yielded productive results under the follow-up of nurses. It occasionally complicates to development of diabetic foot (Carter, Gomes, Camacho, Juurlink, Shah, & Mamdani, 2013). These are wounds whose management is one of the most difficult types of care because it readily decays due to the sugars, and usually has a very bad smell. The stench is just but one concern that is likely to bring about stigmatization as a social complication and end up into amputation. Sudden elevation of vital signs is another problem that these patients can readily have (Carter, Gomes, Camacho, Juurlink, Shah, & Mamdani, 2013). Worst of these is the increase in blood pressure that can result in damage of brain blood vessels and sudden death abruptly. Studies in Canada currently show that diabetes is one of the top five medical conditions that affect most families.
Challenges that Diabetic Families Face
Family is a unit driven by love and passion for all the members. Illness of a single one of them usually appears as if the entire house is sick in one way or another. The fact that diabetes is life-long makes it even more family centered given that a durable copying mechanism must be sort by the nurse to promote health of the rest of family members. Some of the challenges that shall be further explained below include emotion/psychological torture, economical and financial problems.
Emotional/psychological Torture
The afflictive affect that exists amongst family ties is bound by love and joy in moments of happiness. The trend is readily replaced by sorrow and fears of unknown whenever conditions like diabetes set foot in a family. The constant worry that these companions have for their victim generates depression and stress (Nathan, & DCCT/Edic Research Group. 2014). These are both mood and mental disorders that can culminate into other serious complications in the lives of significant others. In instances where a diabetic patient complicates to diabetic foot, it is usually the family, which spends the longest time around them, which experiences the first hand impact of the disease. How remorseful can it continue to be for a bread-winner whose diabetic foot is amputated? The mental questions and concerns can always result to psychological problems to both the victim and the family (Nathan, & DCCT/Edic Research Group. 2014). Social challenges mostly contribute to emotional and psychological torture.
Economical and Financial Challenges
The pinch of money and sustainability of families are always felt in Canada no matter the riches and wealth capacities. This is a condition that requires daily maintenance with food types that are unique to those of other family members. It means that another separate food budget must always be made to inclusively cater for every member of the family. In addition, the hypertensive and diabetic medications are bought expensively from medicine dispensing units across Canada (Nathan, & DCCT/Edic Research Group. 2014). Occasionally community services may be available to offer particular examinations to those patients for free of cots but on the rest of the days, they are required to regularly go for review from physicians. Most of these check-ups require money unless the family has a personal doctor, who is still paid at the end of the month. The outcome of the examination and assessment may occasionally lead to hospitalization in wards especially with issues of raised blood pressure. A patient will therefore be required to pay the bills close to a lifetime.
Diabetes is classified as a disease for the rich because it both comes from an ‘expensive lifestyle’ and also consumes a lot of resources during its management. In an economist point of view, the disease requires someone who is in an economically stable status so as to lengthen his/her living span (Powers, Bardsley, Cypress, Duker, Funnell, Fischl, … & Vivian, 2017). The money that is daily channeled in purchasing medical supplies and equipments such as sphygmomanometers and glucose indices would be put to better use that would sustain the family for another significantly longer time. Money is not really a factor of concern when it comes to family health and so many would choose to remain broke but see their loved one live another day. The financial challenges have mostly been seen to cripple the progress of other family members who rely on the victim (Powers, Bardsley, Cypress, Duker, Funnell, Fischl, … & Vivian, 2017). In instances where a child’s education will be compared with the health of another kin, life would be given a priority. It is thus not strange to see members of stable families seeking scholarships.
Long and Short Term Goals
A short term goal for a family with a loved one with diabetes is to improve the quality of life of that person on a daily basis by taking part in ensuring that appropriate nutrition is observed and that daily medication and vital sign measurements are taken. A long term goal for the family shall thus be to sustain the family in the longest possible time and keep it united. The main reason for observing the goals is to make the family live a close to perfect life as they were before the disease was diagnosed.
Role of a nurse in the Care of family with Diabetes
The most basic role of a nurse is to explain the meaning of diabetes to all the family members in its simplest and most understandable way to relieve anxiety. The fears of unknown that the patients and client families can develop may be prevented by the explanation. In addition, the nurse should offer nutritional counseling to ensure that the family takes a collaborative approach in observing the diet of their patient (Rodbard, 2016). Family therapy will be very resourceful for this family that is undergoing this disease for the first time in their lives. It will play a crucial role in the family when a nurse is able to offer wound care aseptically in the event that the patient gets a diabetic foot or in worst cases scenarios gets amputated. The nurse will play curative, preventive and rehabilitative roles at the heart of this family.
By investigation of the root cause of the disease, the nurse will be able to provide health promotion to help the rest not get the same disease. Cure comes through administration of drugs and insulin, which in some cases the nurse has the role of training the client to self administer in order to enhance independence (Rodbard, 2016). Rehabilitation occurs when the patient gets admitted and the nurse help both the patient and the family to return to their ‘almost’ normal life.
Conclusion
Diabetes is a disease that is viewed as a constant monster in the family because it does not go away any sooner, but forces the family to cope with it. Its route course can be ruled out at the early stages to provide the treatment regimen and the promotion messages that are protective to the other family kins. Challenges of diabetes are almost close to those of cancer, only that pain is the differentiating factor. The rest are the same. The nurse has to effectively intervene at all angles of this family to achieve both their long and short term goals. The nurse provides holistic care.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2015). Standards of medical care in diabetes—2015 abridged for primary care providers. Clinical diabetes: a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 33(2), 97.
Carter, A. A., Gomes, T., Camacho, X., Juurlink, D. N., Shah, B. R., & Mamdani, M. M. (2013). Risk of incident diabetes among patients treated with statins: population based study. Bmj, 346, f2610.
Nathan, D. M., & DCCT/Edic Research Group. (2014). The diabetes control and complications trial/epidemiology of diabetes interventions and complications study at 30 years: overview. Diabetes care, 37(1), 9-16.
Powers, M. A., Bardsley, J., Cypress, M., Duker, P., Funnell, M. M., Fischl, A. H., … & Vivian, E. (2017). Diabetes self-management education and support in type 2 diabetes: a joint position statement of the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Diabetes Educator, 43(1), 40-53.
Rodbard, D. (2016). Continuous glucose monitoring: a review of successes, challenges, and opportunities. Diabetes technology & therapeutics, 18(S2), S2-3.