Gilbert Grape Family

This assignment allows for the application of community and public health nursing concepts learned in theory and clinical by implementing them through an assigned virtual family. These learned elements are directed toward the Grape family from the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”. The public health nurse (PHN) aims to recognize the various stressors in the Grape family and provide relevant resources that can prevent further stress and negative interference on the family unit and community. This is completed by conducting a thorough family assessment from which a plan with interventions is created. An analysis of the interventions along with the outcomes will be provided. A genogram and ecomap are significant tools used to address the genetic

The Grape family genogram is the center of the ecomap and is surrounded by circles representing the various resources within the community. The corresponding arrows display the direction of influence between the family and the groups and

These stressors include his job, townspeople, and the police department. In addition, his personal relationships and family members also contribute to his stress. Gilbert works as a grocer at Lamson’s Grocery. This was originally the only grocery in the town but recently Foodland opened and has diverted business away from the mom-and-pop shop where Gilbert works. This grocery chain increases Gilbert’s financial stress because of his decreased income. Although his job is a negative stressor, it is also positive because the arrangement allows Gilbert to bring his younger brother, Arnie, to work with him. This provides safety and a sense of security for Gilbert. The townspeople throughout the movie represent negative stress by making fun of Bonnie’s (Momma) weight. In addition to the pointing and laughing, the children in the community try to sneak a peek through the window to see how she physically looks. It appears as if she serves as a source of entertainment for the other children. The police department does not seem to me adequately educated or trained to deal with Arnie who suffers from autism. They repeatedly threaten to put Arnie in jail for having climbed the water tower. It is important to recognize that this places stress on the police department. Becky, Gilbert’s unofficial girlfriend, serves as both a positive and a negative stressor. She encourages Gilbert to provide care not only to his family