Dementia is a term used to describe a syndrome that is characterized by the client’s loss of memory, communication abilities, reasoning skills and gradual loss to carry out activities of daily living (Dening & Hibberd, 2016). By 2031 it is expected that 1.4 million Canadians will be living with dementia (McNeil et al., 2016). Diagnosis of dementia not only has a significant effect on the client but the client’s family as well (Dening & Hibberd, 2016). Nurses viewing their clients with dementia holistically within a system of a family is essential to assist them in the nursing process of assessing, diagnosing, intervening and evaluated their clients (Lilly, Robinson, Holtzman &, 2012). For this paper families that act as caregivers to the …show more content…
This relationship is ideal to have between a nurse and patients including their caregiving families because it ensures a family-centered approach when health teaching, assessing, planning, intervening and evaluating the client and family about dementia (McNeil et al., 2016). Family assessment and Intervention Model is based on Neuman’s Health Care Model. Family Assessment and Intervention Model views the family as an open system interacting with the environment, with the role of the family being to protect the family system. At the core of the family system is the family basic structure, process, energy and strength. It is important to keep the basic structure of a family safe to ensure survival. Ring of defense are established to protect the core, some rings are flexible for when the system is treated by significant stressors (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Neuman systems model puts the caregiver as the basic structure in the center of the model (Demir & Platin, 2017). If the caregiver is experiencing caregiver burden, the rings of resistance are insufficient, secondary protection needs to be established to retract the stressors and regain the flexible defense rings (Demir & Platin, 2017). This is where the nurse can assist by using the nursing