Athalia Tan Capstone
My capstone project is about how a sickness or illness could affect the whole family when one family member has it. I got to work with some family members at the Ronald McDonald House(RMDH) and see how they interacted with me and their surroundings. Volunteering at the nonprofit charity, gave me a feeling on what their community is like. To get to interact with them, I decided to do arts and crafts with them, while Tatiana Ream, played bingo with the kids. Through a fundraiser that we did, I bought a set of 8x10 canvases, paint brushes, and acrylic paint and Tatiana boughts items to make gift bags for them. Even though it did not go as expected, with only two kids showing up, I decided to use the rest of the material to give back to my community church.
Bibliography:
"An Illness in the Family: Accounting for the Complex Effects of Illness on Other Family Members." AJMC. May 1, 2004. Accessed January 24, 2018. http://www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2004/2004-05-vol10-n5/may04-1787p305-306.
Sometimes the families have to sacrifice a lot of their daily schedules to care for the patient. Their work schedules and leisure activities can get affected because they need to give more time to care, support and take the patient to the doctors. It also points out that an illness in the family can affect the health and happiness of the family members. This source talks a lot about the different illness that might happen at certain ages and how caregivers take part in the equation. Since some families have caregivers, they are also getting affected. They might not have a good health status but it gives the family a little rest. The sourcing is saying that there are more things other than the family itself that’s getting affected when someone in the family has an illness.
Edwards, Ben, and Valerie Clarke. "The psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis on families: The influence of family functioning and patients' illness characteristics on depression and anxiety." Psycho‐Oncology. December 02, 2003. Accessed January 25, 2018. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.773/full.
If a family member is diagnosed with cancer, the people around them can suffer from clinical levels of depression, severe levels of anxiety, and stress. The characteristics of the patient and how the family function have a big impact on the family’s depression and anxiety. It also depends on how the family tackle the illness. If they’re positive, meaning that they act openly, they express their feelings and solve problems effectively, they will have a lower level of depression. To have lower levels of anxiety, the family needs to communicate with one another. Researchers and doctors need to be more family-focused because if the patient and the people around them doesn’t have the same mentality, it will have a negative outcome for them all.
Golics, Catherine Jane, Mohammad Khurshid Azam Basra, M. Sam Salek, and Andrew Yule Finlay. "The impact of patients' chronic disease on family quality of life: an experience from 26 specialties." International Journal of General Medicine. September 18, 2013. Accessed January 24, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787893/.
Learning a little about the experiment that was conducted, it proved that different illness have different effects on the family. It said that the physical effects, psychological distress and social problems quality in the life of the family can be reduced. Since the family members have a critical part in caring for the patient, they need to be prepared too. The emotional impact, financial aspects, social life, time commitments, personal relationships, and family activities are the most common to be affect in all of the chronic diseases. The studies described in this source is similar to what I want to do, they asked the people in the interview, “Can you tell me about any ways your life has been affected by your family member’s illness?” That is similar to my essential question, so this will be beneficial to me later on.
Good, Byron J., Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good, and Bill D. Burr. "Impact of Illness on the Family: Disease, Illness, and the Family Illness Trajectory." SpringerLink. January 01, 1983. Accessed January 25, 2018. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4612-5433-1_6.
According to this source, for a physician to treat a patient, they need to acknowledge the psychological problems of both the patient and the family of the patient. It needs to be recognized, diagnosed and addressed to successfully treat the patient. A study showed that more than half of the families with children that had cystic fibrotic experienced growth and returned back to stability. It is important to support the patients because to share the burden and try to stay positive has a big impact on the family. At times when a family member has an illness, it will most likely bring the family closer because they’ll find strength within themselves.
"How Chronic Illness or Disability Affects a Family." HealthyChildren.org. Accessed January 26, 2018. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chronic/Pages/How%20Chronic-Illness-Affects-the-Family.aspx.
The parents and caregivers are placed with a big responsibility. They have to worry about their own health and fears and also carry the health condition of the patient. There are different ways that can help with the situation. For example, physicians, social workers, therapists, etc., can be a big help. Trying to solve all family problems associated to the illness or condition can end up isolating yourself from others. It’s okay to recieve help from others when it gets too much. Social networking is also a helpful thing because it allows the family to surround themselves with a supportive environment.
"Impact of illness on the family." EuroMed Info. Accessed January 24, 2018. https://www.euromedinfo.eu/impact-of-illness-on-the-family.html/.
This source answers my essential question. It states that the lifestyle of the family are affected when a family member becomes ill. Everyone has to adapt to a new change because they have to take into account that they should function the way that’s best for the patient. Some families might even need counseling depending on what specific role they should play a part of the family’s function. The source also talks about how the extended family might be affected by the seriousness of the illness. It said that some illness might bring families closer but some might be a strain, so it’s important to identify the illness to the whole family.
"Individuals and Families: Models and Interventions." Health and Behavior: The Interplay of Biological, Behavioral, and Societal Influences. January 01, 1970. Accessed January 26, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK43749/.
This source proves that if someone has an illness in the family, it will lead to a long-term stressor for both the patient and the family. To help with the emotional ride of having an illness within the family is to secure and support personal relationships with one another. Behavior also plays a big part because to have a stable, secure, and mutual family relationships helps enhance consistent disease management. It helps the family share the burden associated with the illness so that they will have each other to rely on. It also talks about how behavior plays a big part in other aspects of life.
International, Inc. Advanced Solutions. "Chronic Illness." American Association for Marriages and Family Therapy. Accessed January 24, 2018. https://www.aamft.org/iMIS15/AAMFT/Content/consumer_updates/chronic_illness.aspx.
The first line of healthcare that a person with chronic illness has is their family. The families are the ones that are there with them everyday and the one who do whatever it takes to help the patient. The chronic illness of one family member influences the lives of everyone around them. Their everyday lives change to find a way to help their loved ones. They might not be emotionally stable because it will be hard for them to adjust to a different lifestyle. The families might need help from trained professional for support, but they will always try their hardest to live a “normal” life.
Reichman, Nancy E., Hope Corman, and Kelly Noonan. "Impact of Child Disability on the Family ." Medscape Log In. Accessed January 25, 2018. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/581577_2.
There are pros and cons about having a child or a sibling that needs medical attention. It can bring out everyone’s inner strength, enhance family cohesion, and it encourage connections to the community around them. However, it takes a lot of time, financial costs, physical and emotional demands, and support. People might have higher stress levels due to the different effects that come with the responsibility of caring a disabled child. Most of the time, the mom stays at home and the dad’s work hour decreases. Parents that have a disabled child are found to be less social and they are less likely to have large families.
Rusk, Howard A., and Joseph Novey. Marriage and family living; international issue on the family. Chicago, 1954.
The chapter, “The Impact of Chronic Illness on Families,” it said that chronic illness contributes to family problems. Whether the illness is a something small, it will still affect the family because everyone is aware of it. The financial and emotional aspects of the family is the primary points that the illness will affect. The family’s social life will be affected due to the things that the patient need. Depending on the severity of the illness, it affects how the family function as an individual and as a whole. What they need to do and how they respond to things will be determined by the illness.
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