Elizabeth Ogg
Ohio University
Family Health Promotion and Chronic Illness: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
I will be discussing a patient with the chronic illness chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and three ways the nurse can provide health promotion to this patient’s family. Family health promotion provides an outline of activities that families engage in to improve health and strengthen the family as a whole (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2015, p. 205). Health care workers have only a short time with patients and families to devise a plan of care, the majority of care is given by the family after a patient returns home. …show more content…
I would offer community resources and education that builds independence and skills for multiple family members. By meeting with several members of the family and dividing the role of care giver this enable several people to bear the load of care not just one member. This will help one person to not feel over whelmed or get burn out related to the stress of care. By helping members of the family devise a plan that allows all member to be a part of the care it keeps the family cohesive and working as a unit. I would offer active listening, eye contact, and empathy. I would assess the family’s need for home health services, offer the COPD support group that meets at the local hospital once a month, and the number to the local assisted living home that offers respite care for families that need a break for a short period of …show more content…
I would assess if this patient lives by him/her self, if the patient has a two story home, if the patient must use steps to get into the home, and if there are loose floor rugs present. All of these factors pose risks to the patient with COPD, and will need to be adjusted. If my patient lived in a two story home with a bedroom on the second floor I would encourage the use of a hospital bed on the first floor of the home to negate the need to use the stairs. If the patient must use stairs to gain entrance into the home, then a ramp could be placed to assist with this issue. If there are loose rugs present on the floors I would educate the family on the need to remove these rugs as they pose a fall risk to the patient. Helping the patient improve his/her environment to assist with independence also allows for the family to bear less burden and allows the member to maintain independence within the family structure. This helps not only the patient but the family as well.
In closing family health promotion are activities that help a family as a whole improve their health and wellbeing. The three activities listed above are just a few of the many activities nurses can do to improve a family’s life. By focusing of the family’s unique needs as a unit and not just one member the nurse can improve outcomes, and encourage