Introduction
This topic covers the family as the unit of health care: family health, the functions and roles of the family, the determinants and scope of family health, the family's responsibilities in health and disease, and the physician's care in problem or broken families.
Family
- A group of biologically related people living together and sharing the common kitchen and purse; a group of 2 or more persons related by birth, marriage or adoption and residing together in a household.
- The unit of service in all health care delivery.
- The health of one member affects the welfare of the other members of the family.
- Every family is unique and is affected by every aspect of community life.
- Health service providers have to understand the family's ways, traditions, customs and beliefs.
Family health
- Part of community health. It is more than the sum of the personal health of individuals.
- A unit of health care.
- A state of positive interaction between family members which enables each member of the family to enjoy optimum physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.
Functions of the family
- Socialisation of family members
- Economic stability
- Care of dependent members
- Satisfying the social, intellectual, emotional and psychosocial needs of members
Roles of the family
'The secret of health lies in the family': a family can play various roles to uplift the health status of its members.
- Family as teacher
- Family as health service
- Family as counsellor
- Family as motivator
- Family as controller
- Family as monitor
- Family as trainer
- Family as caretaker
Determinants of family health
- Living and working conditions
- Physical environment
- Psychosocial environment
- Education
- Economic factors
Scope and components of family health
- Problems faced by the family: broken homes, disability, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy
- Reproductive health
- Safe motherhood: physicians provide medical and social care for family problems
- Adolescent health
- STIs, legal abortion, infertility services
Responsibilities of the family in health and disease
- Child rearing
- Socialisation
- Personality formation
- Care of a dependent adult
- Care of the sick and injured
- Care of pregnant women and children (pregnancy and childbirth)
- Care of the aged and handicapped
- Stabilisation of adult personality
- Broken homes and family susceptibility to diseases