Tate Family Assessment from the Other Sister

Concepts of Family Nursing Theory

Nursing 464

Karen Mittura RN. MSN, CCRN

Aug 06, 2006

Family Assessment Tate Family

This is an assessment of the Tate Family, from the movie The Other Sister. It is the story of Carla Tate, a young woman who has �graduated’ out of the training school where she has resided for many years because she is mentally challenged. Her hope is that she will be accepted for all that she can now do for herself. But Carla's family is wealthy, which permits her mother, already blinded to her daughter's rather high-functioning abilities, to try and provide for Carla beyond her needs or desires, bringing forth the inevitable confrontations. What Carla may lack in mental ability she certainly makes up for in her insistence on being independent, even to living in her own apartment. But if this isn't enough, into the mix comes a young man, equally challenged mentally, who moves Carla beyond anyone's control.

STRUCTURE

The family unit consists of a father, a mother and two adult daughters. One adult daughter is a regularly functioning adult who does not live in the home. She is married and resides with her spouse and her children nearby.

The second adult daughter, Carla still resides at home with her parents. She is mentally retarded. She is enrolled in a mainstream high school and receives special education and is ready to graduate with an attendance diploma.

FUNCTION

The family reports that its function is one of change. The older daughter reports that she has always come second since the birth of her mentally retarded sister, however she denies any resentment of her sister. She in fact reports that she has deep admiration and respect for Carla because of the many obstacles that Carla has overcome in life.

The mother reports that while Carla feels she is ready to be independent she isn’t. In talking with the father however, he reports that he believes Carla is ready for a measure of supervised independence from her parents and it is his wife who is having a hard time letting go.

The family’s daily routine entails the father going to work, the mother staying home and making sure that C is ready for school. C attends day school and her sister comes to visit frequently at the house.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

There are several environmental factors that impact the family. They live in a city which has frequent air quality or pollution alerts. All family members deny the use of tobacco products. All family members deny the use of illegal drugs. They all report that they wear seatbelts every time they are in a vehicle and they all report that they are advocates of gun control.

CULTURAL ASSESSMENT

The family members report that they are from a Protestant background. While they do not regularly attend a church they report that they do have spiritual faith. The family members are white Anglo Saxon from an English and German heritage.

UNIVERSAL SELF CARE REQUISITES

Mother

Food: The mother will receive education and guidance in the preparation and ingestion of a well balanced diet. Because it has been determined that she is hypoglycemic she will begin eating four to six small meals a day instead of three average sized meals. Her meals will consist of protein and low sugar so that she can maintain a more stabilized blood sugar reading and retain her energy. She will receive guidance to participate in an exercise program that will help her prevent the affects of aging.

Water: She will be sure she remains hydrated and will increase her daily intake of water to eight full glasses per day with an increase in intake on days that she takes part in outdoor activities. Air: During days that there is an air quality alert, she will revert to an indoor exercise program and will not participate in her outdoor sport of tennis or swimming.

CARLA

Food: Carla will receive education about nutrition and lessons in cooking and will then be able to plan and prepare her nutritional intake and be sure it is balanced. Carla will receive education about the importance of exercise and will receive partial compensation to assist her in maintaining an exercise program.

Water: Because Carla reports not enjoying the taste of water and due to her developmental delays she will maintain hydration by drinking sugar free decaffeinated