According to Wright and Leahey (2013) the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) is a widely accepted template used to help nurses organize the data found from working with families. The CFAM can be used as a general tool to collect data from a family assessment, but may also help guide nurses in addressing a specific family issue (Wright & Leahey, 2013). A traditional nuclear family was interviewed for this paper, and the structural and developmental assessment levels of the CFAM will be discussed. .
Structural Assessment.
Internal Structure.
Family composition. The P family is a traditional nuclear family (see genogram, Appendix A), with only the father, mother and children living in the home. Included is a father/husband, Justin, age 25; a mother/wife, Sarah, age 23; and two children, Savannah and Julianne, ages 2 and 1, respectively; and two dogs, Turbo and Ollie. They are a Caucasian family and think of themselves as "lower-middle class." When asked who makes up their family, Justin and Sarah replied that the four of them make up their family, but they stated that they are very close with their extended family. Both Justin and Sarah grew up in Unionville, and all of their family lives within 10 miles of them. Justin and Sarah both see their parents a couple of times a week and see their siblings at least twice a month. Justin's younger brother and mother as well as Sarah's mother frequently help care for the children. Two dogs live with the P family. They are medium-sized outdoor dogs that require little care or attention but do eat large amounts of food. Usually, Sarah's income is used to buy the dog food because, as Justin stated, "they're her dogs anyway." All family members have a strong sense of attachment to the dogs and consider them members of the household.
Gender Roles.
Gender plays a role in defining the expectations and behaviors of each family member and makes up a significant part of family health care (Wright & Leahey, 2013).