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Importance of Family in Health Care
1. Explain the significance of family and kinship in the Perez.
Family and kinship are important in the Perez family, as is demonstrated by the
multigenerational size of the family, their closeness, and coexistence with each other. At
the age of 18, Mr. Perez risks the fear of the unknown and moves to a new country to
search for better opportunities, and send money home because of his love for his
family. Additionally, the resilience and willingness of Mr. and Mrs. Perez to disregard the
doctor’s instructions and enlarge their family prove the importance of the family
construct within the Spanish Culture. Family holds such as valuable social concept and
is regarded as the symbol of love and the opportunity to share love among Spanish
community members (Molina et al.,2019; Molina-Mula et al., 2019). The closeness
among the Perez family is evident from their homes being close to one another, and
how they all attend Sunday mass together and eat breakfast as a family afterward. This
reflects the high levels of support for one another in the Spanish culture.
2. Describe the importance of religion and God in the Perez family
The role of religion and God is regarded highly in the Spanish community because
it is culturally pervasive, and through prayer, faith, and hope, it gives them the strength
to endure tough times such as illness (Ransford et al., 2010). The belief that God is in
control helps them gain control of whatever barriers they face. Mr. Perez and his family
are religious, and the role of God is strong in their daily lives, as is portrayed by the
religious items all over their house. They always attend Sunday mass as a family while
Mr. and Mrs. Perez make prayer requests to God for good health for themselves and
their family. Their gratitude to God for the birth of their other children following the first
complicated birth is seen as a reward from God which they attribute to their faith in
Religion.
3. Identify two stereotypes about Mexican Americans that were dispelled
in this case.
The first stereotype is that Latinos cannot speak English or have limited English
fluency. Mr. Perez and his family can communicate in Spanish and English fluently.
Every member of his family except for Mr. Perez was born in America. This assumption
is related to the belief that all Latinas in America are immigrants from Mexico, which in
this case is not true.
The second assumption is about the health beliefs and practices of the Latinos that
they only rely on herbal medicine and folk healing practices for healing. Although Mr.
Perez seeks curandero services, he still incorporates contemporary health practices. He
does not solely rely on folk medicinal services since the birth of his first child was done
in a hospital. However, he also believes in modern healthcare as he frequently seeks
advice from his daughter, who is a registered nurse.
4. What is the role of Mrs. Perez in this family?
Mrs. Perez is the glue that holds the family together due to her role as a spiritual,
emotional, and physical source of support. As her husband goes through the procedure
to get his pacemaker, Mrs. Perez will be involved in the care of his husband with the
additional help of their daughter. In Spanish culture, women are held in high regard and
a source of warmth, love, and support. It is, therefore, imperative that cultural
competence is applied when taking care of patients with strong family dependence and
make room for the inclusion of family members in the aftercare to improve patient
satisfaction and outcomes (Swihart et al., 2018).
References
Molina, Y., Henderson, V., Ornelas, I. J., Scheel, J. R., Bishop, S., Doty, S. L., … &
Coronado, G. D. (2019). Understanding complex roles of the family for Latina
health: evaluating family obligation stress. Family & Community Health, 42(4), 254.
DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000232
Molina-Mula, J., Gallo-Estrada, J., & Miquel-Novajra, A. (2019). Attitudes and beliefs of
Spanish families regarding their family members aged 75 years and over who
live alone: a qualitative study. BMJ Open, 9(4), e025547. DOI: 10.1136/BMJ open2018-025547
Swihart, D. L., Yarrarapu, S. N. S., & Martin, R. L. (2018). Cultural religious competence
in clinical practice.
Ransford, H. E., Carrillo, F. R., & Rivera, Y. (2010). Health care-seeking among Latino
immigrants: blocked access, use of traditional medicine, and the role of
religion. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21(3), 862-878.
