Family Roles And Responsibilities Towards Promoting Health

Each member of a family unit occupies a given role in the unit as a child, sibling parent among others. An individual’s family roles are always dynamic and depend on the age, family stage among other factors that may dictate role change. Together with the roles are social and family expectations for how the assigned or assumed roles are achieved. Usually each member of a family takes a role and woks hard to keep the family going. Sometimes the roles appear naturally or sometimes the family decides which role they going to take.

The 4 models of family are: clinical model, role performance model, adaptive model and eudaimonisc model. In a clinical model members of family are free of physical, mental and social dysfunction ( Kaakinen, Gedaly, Coelho & Hanson, 2010); In a role performance model each member perform their routine roles to achieve health; (Kaakinen, Gedaly, Coelho & Hanson, 2010); In adaptive model family have the ability to recover after a crise( Kaakinen, Gedaly, Coelho & Hanson, 2010); and in Eudaimonistic model members are focus on efforts to support the family reach their maximum potential. ( Kaakinen, Gedaly, Coelho & Hanson, 2010).

Whatever the family model the common family roles include Provision of resources, such as the basic and secondary needs of the family. This is a shared responsibility between the parents and the older members of the family unit. With the shared responsibility each member will gain some sense of satisfaction thus minimizing stress and other depressive conditions (Elwood & Longley, 2010). In fulfilling the role of providing for the family the member should be responsible for example ensure you buy health food not just food.

The second crucial role in the family is nurturing and supporting each other socially, psychologically, physical and all form of help that other family members may require. This includes encouraging children in school, supporting each other in case of loss of a family member.

Another key family role is the development of the life skills roles which may include the physical emotional, educational, and social development of children and adults. For example, parent guiding a child on relationship issues. For spouses each one has a role in ensuring satisfying sexual relationship as this play a significant role in a marriage. Both spouses ensure the treat sexual issues in a manner that each gets satisfaction (Wikler, 2002).

Based on the above sampled roles it is evident that each family member has a key role to play in ensuring good family health. Family members need to be flexible, determined and committed to their roles. This would minimizes stress and bring harmony among the family members. I think the ability to keep the family health is each one responsibility and what makes a family health is exactly the commitment of all members.

Reference

Elwood, P., & Longley, M. (2010). My health: whose responsibility? A jury decides. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 64(9), 761-764.

Kaakinen R. , Gedaly-Duff V. , Coelho D., Hanson s. (2010) Family Health Care Theory Practice and research 4th ed, F.A Davis Company Philadelphia

Wikler, D. (2002). Personal and social responsibility for health. Ethics & International Affairs, 16(2), 47-55.