A man had been in an extended-care facility for five weeks and was now

A man had been in an extended-care facility for five weeks and was now home. His wife tells the nurse, “He’s trying to take up where he left off but we’ve adapted to not having him home.

He keeps thinking things will be just as they were when he left, but they aren’t.” Which of the following would be the most appropriate response by the nurse?
a.
“Are the changes making him uncomfortable or are the rest of you uncomfortable?”
b.
“Do you want me to talk to him and try to explain?”
c.
“How can we make things as they were before he left?”
d.
“You all adapted to running the house without him; it will be challenging now to adapt back.”

ESSAYBID ANSWER

ANS: D
Family functional assessment, or how family members behave toward one another, is divided into two categories. The first is instrumental functioning, which refers to routine activities of daily living. This area takes on important meaning for the family when one member of the family becomes ill or disabled and changes were made. When the family member is better, the family must again adapt to changes, even if the change is to return to the original mode of functioning. It will help the family to be able to recognize the problem; labeling it makes it more manageable.