Chronic illness has a significant impact on the functioning of the individual within the family and community. For individuals living with HIV, the impact of this illness is further exacerbated by the stigma and discrimination associated with the virus. Rosa, a 61 year old woman in Zimbabwe exemplifies the impact of illness on the caregivers and support system. The family systems theory offers a critical lens to understand a family as a “system” with basic units that are interdependent. Understating a family as a system is critical in examining the relationships within a family. According to Dore (2008), practice informed by family systems pays attention to the functioning for the system as a whole, as well as the functioning of the interlocking subsystems. This theoretical background informs the social worker’s assessment of Rosa and her family as they cope with the emotional, physical and medical aspects of HIV/AIDS. Rosa’s Support System Rosa’s support system is diverse. Her connections stem from family, work, church and other relationships in the community (see Diagram 1). At the core of this system is Brian, Rosa’s husband, who is also living with HIV. Rosa and Brian have five adult children (four daughters and one son). The two eldest daughters are married and live with their husbands and children; another daughter is abroad; the son, John and the youngest daughter, Joyce live with the parents in their family home. Joyce also has a 20-month old son, and she is currently a university student in Psychology at the University of Zimbabwe. In addition to Rosa’s core family, the extended families from both Rosa and Brian’s family are also a strong component of family life in Zimbabwe. Rosa’s siblings, cousins and aunts are aware... ... middle of paper ... ... C. (1997). Women living with HIV/AIDS: the dual challenge of being a patient and caregiver. Health & Social Work, 22(1), 53-62. Kimemia, V. M. (2006). Caregiver Burden and Coping Responses for Females who are the Primary Caregiver for a Family Member Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida). Kipp, W., Matukala Nkosi, T., Laing, L., & Jhangri, G. S. (2006). Care burden and self-reported health status of informal women caregivers of HIV/AIDS patients in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. AIDS care, 18(7), 694-697. Norsigian, J. (2011). Our Bodies, Ourselves. Touchstone. Simon, C.E., Pryce, J.G., Roff, L., & Klemmack, D. (2005). Secondary traumatic stress and oncology social work: Protecting compassion from fatigue and compromising the worker's worldview. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 23(4), 1-14.
Social workers deal with intense situations daily. It is important that social workers are aware of how they are affected by these interactions. Priscilla Dass-Brailsford explains in her book, that countertransference, vicarious trauma (VT), secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and satisfaction, and burnout are all different ways that counselors can be affected (Dass-Brailsford, 2007). This is where it is important for social workers to have a plan of self-care and stress management resources to use.
Napier provides a crucial exploration of the therapy of a family struggling with battles for the structure of their family and battles to define and grow their relationships with one another. Napier and Whitaker seamlessly and purposely work with each family member, educating and
The family structure is made up of individuals living together in intimate groups with the purpose of caring and supporting each other. Rules and boundaries, spoken and unspoken, are developed by the family members. Family rules and boundaries change and shift over time in order to evolve and grow as a family unit. Some changes are subtle, but some events force major change within the family system. This paper applies the concepts of systems theory to the family system in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Reese Witherspoon (Melanie Smooter) and Josh Lucas (Jake Perry) star in this heart-warming film telling a story of a young woman who flees from Alabama to reinvent herself in New York City as a high fashion designer. She leaves behind her redneck husband and white-trash upbringing. Melanie finds herself engaged to the cities most eligible bachelor and has to return to Alabama to request a divorce from her first love and confront her past ("Alabama," 2002).
Zich, J., & Temoshok, L. (1987). Perceptions of social support in men with AIDS and ARC: Relationships with distress and hardiness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 193-215.
Kaakinen, Gedaly-Duff, Coehlo & Hanson, (2010) report family is the biggest resource for managing care of individuals with chronic illness; family members are the main caregivers and provide necessary continuity of care. Therefore, it is important for health care providers to develop models of care based on an understanding what families are going through (Eggenberger, Meiers, Krumwiede, Bliesmer, & Earle, 2011). The family I chose to interview is in the middle of a transition in family dynamics. I used the family as a system approach as well as a structure-function theoretical framework to the effects of the changes in dynamic function. Additionally, the combinations of genogram, ecomap, adaptations of the Friedman Family Assessment model as well as Wright & Leahey’s 15 minute family interview were utilized.
...be pathway to autonomy by supporting a person’s entitlement to make decisions about their own health and health care (Feinsod & Wagner, 2008). It is a person’s right to know when they seek medical treatment it will be delivered with no bias or discrimination. This can be achieved by continuing AIDS education in health care facilities and to their staff. The education would also benefit society. The health care community has an ethical duty to do whatever is needed to ensure that all patients, including those with AIDS, gain from the most current treatments. Nurses have many roles in patient care. Expanding some of those roles, in order to determine the various aspects of a patient’s life, to help organize services to start/continue the most current treatment available to AIDS patients, may assist in minimizing the fear of discrimination in the clinical setting.
The coping mechanisms of a family are very important in the family’s ability to function and survive (Friedman et al., 2003). A health care provider can use a family stress model to evaluate what makes a family vulnerable, resilient and adaptive (McCubbin, 1995). Furthermore, assessing a family’s resources and coping strategies are important for health care providers to assist families adapt and achieve “higher levels of wellness” (Friedman et al., 2003, p. 464). Under the perspective of the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation, the purpose of this paper is to describe the stressors the Philips family encountered, evaluate their responses, and consider resources that would have been applicable for their situation.
Since the 20th century, researchers have sought out solutions to help assist families and the individual components that make up family systems overcome the challenges and schisms that can inhibit individuation and stability. Two theoretical perspectives, the family-systems theory and the family-development theory, were conceived to gain as Balswick & Balswick (2014) noted, gain “a wide-angle view of family life” (p. 22). Though these two theories have merit, one I found to be more advantageous in gaining a better understanding of the family as an actively metastasizing organism, which needs to be approached more adaptively.
Primary caregivers are given an opportunity to take care of their loved ones; however, this job comes with a lot of stress and its consequences (Tsai, 2003). Primary caregivers take care of those with a chronic illness such as a family member or friend, are given a task that is so immense that it induces a lot of stress. In the previous decades, many research articles have developed studies which focused on stressors that were associated with the task of being the primary caregiver; yet, a theory surrounding this topic has not been developed until the early 2000s. Tsai (2003) developed the Theory of Caregiver Stress based on the Roy Adaptation Model to identify the caregiver’s response, perceptions, and adaptations to the stress and burden that primary caregiver’s experience.
There is a lot of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, causing these women to put providing for their families over their own health, which is understandable. Although they might have access to condoms and know they are at risk of HIV/AIDS, what they might not understand is how far these infections can spread. Evidence-based information provided in a fun and engaging session may make these women realize just how many people they are putting at risk, including their own family members. Learning condom negotiation skills may help them better protect themselves and their sexual partners. These sessions may allow these women to feel more comfortable discussing sexual health, and encourage them to get tested. Being surrounded by their peers in a non-judgemental setting may encourage them to make changes, or support each other’s decisions to make
The authors worked for the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies which belongs to AIDS resea...
“Clinically, the HIV infected adolescents present as physically stunted individuals, with delayed puberty and adrenarche. Mental illness and substance abuse are important co-morbidities” (Naswa, 2010). Naswa, 2010 also reports that adolescences with HIV have a higher susceptibility rate to contract STD’s that the average individual due to the thinner lining of mucus in the ovaries at this stage of their development. The stigma of living with HIV is also a factor for her psychosocial development. The fact that she contracted this disease from her father further contributes to emotional trauma.
The first goal of intervention is for Precious to gain access to health care, and health care related resources so that she can mange HIV symptoms. Along with access to health care, Precious also seeks to gain access to emotional and mental health supportive resources to cope with her chronic illness. As a means of intervention, I will assist Precious by providing health care resources. I will aid in filling out application for Medicaid and follow up with patient to assist if necessary when her primary care physician is established. To further Precious’ access to care, I will provide her with resources for Powerful Youth, a program that provides health and physiological services for HIV positive young people. In addition to programs that provide HIV drug therapy and medical care, Powerful Youth incorporates HIV support group meeting. According to research in regards to the Powerful Youth, the program is used in conjunction with primary care settings and has been shown to reduce stress, expand social support, and improve emotional health, reduces HIV related risks, enhances medical adherence, and provide coping strategies (Solórzano & Glassgold, 2010). The Powerful Youth program is a culturally relevant because the program exists within the client’s own culture. The program is located in Precious’ current neighborhood, and it designed to reach people within her ethnic and age demographic. In
As a child, life was great for me. I spent my days being a hyperactive boy, running around and causing general chaos on my two sisters, Kelly and Libby. The world I lived in was a stress free world, I had not had many difficult experiences growing up. Life was beautiful for me, until a tragedy struck my family.
According to the Caregiver Action Network, an estimated 65 million Americans currently serve as caregivers for loved ones who are aging or disabled. This number is likely even higher, but many individuals decline to call themselves caregivers. For many, taking care of family in their time of need is the right and necessary thing to do. Whether they use the title or not, proving care for a loved one is no small task. In order to ensure the best quality of life for both caregiver and care recipient, it is necessary to understand what caregiving entails and the impact it has on day-to-day life.