Students: Ahmed mhameed ID: 201812020

Aseel Saleem ID: 201810257

Dr. Wael Mustafa Abuhassan
assignment social #2
1. Family system in health work: The family system is comprised of a
group of individuals who work together to adapt to outside
influences. Individuals relate to each other in predefined ways.
Power and decision-making responsibilities are understood among
group members. Illness, injury, or disability of one family member
affects the entire family, changes family dynamics, and may cause
increased stress among all members.
Children with special health care needs require more health-related
services than those without such needs.
Busy health care professionals may view family members as being
overly concerned and “in the way.” Conversely, family members may
view health care providers as being aloof and uncaring. Although
both health professionals and family members want what is best for
the client, they may have different views, which can place them in
adversarial roles.
Family caregivers play a significant role in the health care system in
emotional, practical, and economic terms.
The length of stay in hospitals has become very brief, and clients are
often unstable on discharge. Health care professionals rely on family
members to carry out procedures at home that used to be
performed only by licensed personnel, such as providing wound care,
monitoring respirators, administering medications, giving injections,
and completing chemotherapy infusions. Family members suddenly
find themselves in the role of “home care provider”.
2. Family needs: Family caregivers are often unseen, untrained, and
lack support systems. They make up what has been called a “shadow
workforce.” They serve as client “case managers, medical records
keepers, paramedics and patient advocates to fill dangerous gaps in a
system that is uncoordinated, fragmented, bureaucratic and often
depersonalized”. A review of the literature indicates that family
caregivers seek information, education, trust, and understanding
from their health care providers. They further need support systems,
the ability to speak on behalf of their family members, and assistance
navigating the health care. Health care professionals need to
recognize these issues and provide clients and family caregivers with
mechanisms to obtain what they need to improve outcomes.
Information and Education: Family caregivers want honest
information about their loved ones’ diagnoses and prognoses. They
need to understand the tests, diagnosis, treatment options, and
prognosis for recovery. They require appropriate training so they can
respond to disease-related issues as illnesses progress.
Trust: Family caregivers want to be able to trust health providers, but
fears related to errors of omission or commission cause them to
avoid leaving loved ones alone in hospital settings.
Advocacy: Elements of effective advocacy include knowledge of
federal, state, and local regulations regarding health care services,
insurance, and special education delivery; assertive communication
skills; negotiation skills; and conflict resolution abilities. Because it is
challenging to advocate for clients’ welfare when dealing with
bureaucracies, caregivers benefit from validation and
encouragement, as well as emotional and social support. Clients with
cognitive or emotional deficits may have unrealistic goals or behavior
problems, which require caregiver involvement. Caregivers’ decisions
may conflict with the goals and desires of other family members or
even with those of the client. If the client is over the age of 18, a legal
process may be required to allow a family member to assume
decision-making responsibilities. Some caregivers may need to
become surrogate decision makers if the people in their care are
under the age of 18; are frail, elderly, or diagnosed with dementia; or
have physical, cognitive, or emotional deficits that render them
unable to make their own decisions.
Identification of Resources: Another need expressed by family
caregivers is assistance in dealing with the health care system and
obtaining necessary resources. Families caring for members who
need home care services require professional advice and
 coordination. For example, they may not realize that, in addition to
nursing and rehabilitation services, home health care agencies can
provide home health aides to assist clients with activities of daily
living. Programs like Meals-on-Wheels serve home care clients one
meal daily. A raised toilet seat, grab bars in the hallway, or other
accommodations may be installed to assist the client in safely
maneuvering in the home.
3. Skills of family caregivers: Developing caregiver skills requires
education, time, patience, and practice. Caregiving demands that
family members monitor clients and observe subtle changes,
interpret verbal and nonverbal cues, analyze information, make
decisions about actions, keep track of what to do and when to do it,
provide direct care, make adjustments as needed, manage treatment
schedules, administer medications, seek outside help as needed, and
negotiate the health care system.
Responsibilities of family system and roles: Within each family
system, everyone has roles and responsibilities, knows what is
expected, and reacts to other family members according to his or her
defined role. However, when a member of the family becomes ill or
disabled, responsibilities and roles change. It is important to note the
difference between these terms. Responsibilities are jobs that family
members perform, such as cooking meals, paying bills, doing laundry,
and going to school. Roles are more complex and difficult to define.
Established over many years, they include who you are, how people
see you, and what people expect of you. Roles can include that of
parent, money manager, head of the household, child, and caregiver.
Whereas some may be able to afford to hire people to fulfill
household responsibilities, changing the roles within a family system
is much more difficult.