A.

FAMILY STRUCTURE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND DYNAMICS

Mr. Erwin Aquino, 41, heads a family of four which comprises of his wife, Mrs. Thea
Aquino, 42; his eldest daughter, Lyra Aquino, 17, single; and his youngest daughter, Lyla
Aquino, 8. All four members reside at # 88 Hillside, Baguio City. As to family roles, Mr.
Erwin is the breadwinner of the family. Mrs. Thea, on the other hand, is in-charge of almost
all of the household chores. Their two daughters, Lyra and Lyla, are not very much
encouraged by their parents to engage in such activities; instead their role is to simply study
and all else is taken care of by their parents. The evident family structure is Equalitarian as
both parents share the same level of authority in the household and that both consult each
other first before coming up with a mutual decision. However, this type of structure still
depends on the severity of the problem, for every so often the father still has the last say on
things especially those regarding security problems and major disciplinary actions. On the
other hand, the mother handles most of the financial and health matters and minor offenses.
Nevertheless it is a given fact that both parents are somewhat rigid when it comes to rules, an
open communication still prevails within the family; although there are instances wherein the
family is split into two (father-youngest, mother-eldest) when it comes to activities to engage
in or opinions on several issues. Problems, as well as other issues (political, social, etc.) are
also discussed openly among the family members. Each one is entitled to his/her opinion, and
his/her plans and capabilities to address such issues are very much respected.

B. SOCIO-ECNOMIC AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Mr. Erwin Aquino is a Maintenance Engineer at Hotel Elizabeth and earns at a range of P
20,000 to P 40,000 a month, including housing and food allowances. Mrs.Thea Aquino, on
the other hand, has a home-based retail business and contributes about P 10,000 to P 20,000
per month to the family income. Even though Mr. Erwin is the major wage earner, Mrs. Thea
is solely manages the family revenue and handles all of their expenses. The family’s
expenditures mostly comprise of food, city services (electricity, water, telephone, cable
connection, etc.), school expenditures (tuition fees, books, school supplies, uniforms, etc.),
insurance policies, miscellaneous outflows, and savings. Although financial crises are
inevitable in most situations, the family’s income still proves to be sufficient in catering to
each member’s wants and needs.
Mr. Erwin was born and raised as an Igorot but also has an Ilocano background from his
father and Pangasinense blood from his mother. He graduated as an Electrical Engineer at
Saint Louis University, and therefore grew up in a Catholic environment. His wife, Mrs.
Thea, is of a pure Tagalog descent. She earned a Tourism degree at the University of Santo
Tomas, and was also reared as a Roman Catholic. Both their children, Lyra and Lyla, were
born in Baguio City however; their mother’s Tagalog culture remained dominant.
Mrs. Thea’s side of the family is more domineering than that of his husband’s. In instances of
health, financial, and emotional downfall, her relatives are the first ones to be informed of
such and therefore play a more pertinent role in supporting the family’s needs.
The Aquino family is neither dormant nor a prime mover in community activities. Mr. Erwin
and his eldest daughter are both active in environmental movements such as clean-up drives,
information campaigns, tree planting, and the like. Mrs. Thea and her youngest daughter, on
the other hand, do participate in church-related and socially relevant activities such as
catechism and visiting orphanages. However, the family is not too enticed to join several
groups or clubs for they think that most are just “money and publicity talks”.

C. HOME AND ENVIRONMENT

The Aquino family resides in a 100 sq.m. two-storey semi-concrete house having three
rooms. The couple and their two daughters each have their own bedrooms. Possible breeding
sites of insects and/or other vectors are plant pots inside and outside of the house premises,
the kennel at the backyard, and several dark nooks used as storage area for construction and
automobile tools. Except for a slippery tiled bathroom and a moldy passageway in front and
at the side of the house, there were no more accident-prone areas noted in the vicinity. As to
food storage, the family has a refrigerator for easily perishable goods as well as several other
wooden cabinets in the kitchen to accommodate other supplies. It was also noted that the
family uses a gas (LPG-fed) stove most of the time in cooking, although they also use butane
as a substitute on rare occasions. As regards to water supply, mineral drinking water is
delivered twice a week by Rico’s water refilling station. For most purposes, water from the
Baguio Water District is utilized. Their toilet and bath facility poses no problem. The whole
structure is generally concrete with the flooring furnished with ceramic tiles; the toilet bowl
is made of ceramic, has a working flush, and is connected to an individual septic tank; the
bath has a shower heater and operational faucet and drain. Concerning garbage disposal, the
family is very much adherent to the city’s waste segregation program. Specific covered waste
bins are assigned for paper, plastic, toiletries, and biodegradables, and are properly situated
outside the house.
Barangay Hillside is enveloped by evergreens, known for its overall cleanliness, has a
minimal population, and has a satisfactory record for keeping peace and order. Social
facilities such as the barangay hall, basketball court, and day-care center are all located in
one area, roughly midway the village. A health center or any other health facility is not
present within the barangay.
The village is very much accessible whether to jeepneys, taxis, or private vehicles, although
the roads are fairly rough, it is still big enough for two lanes of vehicles. Telephone lines and
cable/internet connections are well-established in the neighborhood as well.

D. HEALTH STATUS OF EACH FAMILY MEMBER

Mr. Erwin Aquino

- He was diagnosed to have gallstones and was scheduled for a surgery, but the operation did
not pursue due to a “miraculous” turn of events.
- He was diagnosed to have functional scoliosis. It was recommended that he performs
certain exercises to correct the abnormality and have his monthly physical therapy treatment.
- His usual complaints are headache and muscle stiffness, especially on the lower back and
shoulder areas.
- He wears eyeglasses to compensate his nearsightedness and to correct is astigmatism.
- He has a family history of colon, bone, and breast cancers from his first-degree family
members.
- He prefers meat and fried dishes as well as salty foods, drinks liquor at an average of twice
in a week, and usually smokes around 5 to 8 sticks of cigarettes a day.
- He is suspected to have gout due to noted swelling of the right big toe, leading to
immobilization of the affected area. He sought medical consultation and is still waiting for
confirmatory laboratory findings.
- It was also noted that he wears dentures, as well as progressive eyeglasses.

Mrs. Thea Aquino

- She grew up as a sickly person, and often hospitalized for anemia (manifested by fainting
and vertigo), urinary tract infection, and heart problems.
- She has a significant family background on diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
- She is currently diagnosed to have a stage 1 herniated lumbar disc due to a fall from a 5-feet
high water tank in September 2005 as well as repeated transitional activities, as confirmed by
CT scan and X-ray examination results, and physical evaluation findings of the
Rehabilitation Section of the Saint Louis Hospital of the Sacred Heart. Her treatment
included a week of complete bed rest, lumbar tractions, physical therapy program, and pain
medications/muscle relaxants.
- She is fond of vegetables, fruits, and fish, although she cannot indulge on such since
majority of the family members distaste such kinds of dishes. She is not drawn to any kind of
vice.
- She is suspected to have some sort of rectal muscle dysfunction due to reported “weekly”
bowel movement despite of efforts such as adoption of a high-fiber diet and intake of teas
and laxatives. She has sought medical consultation and is scheduled for colonoscopy.
- It was also noted that she wears contact lenses.

Lyra Aquino

- She has been hospitalized for sepsis and urinary tract infection during her childhood.
- She was also diagnosed to have functional scoliosis, and was recommended to undergo
therapy sessions as often as possible.
- She was also hospitalized for ulcer when she was in high school, which was suspected to be
due to untimely or even skipped meals. Her maintenance medication is Novalucid.
- She also suffers from sporadic asthma attacks in the form of long-term cough and colds.
Treatment upon diagnosis was a sort of “puff” administered twice daily along with common
cough and cold preparations such as Nasathera and Carbocisteine.
- She is currently diagnosed to have Rheumatic Heart Disease. Although there are no activity
restrictions, she still receives a monthly intramuscular injection of Benzathine Penicillin and
is under close monitoring of several specialists as her condition involves
immunosuppression.
- Her diet mostly includes meat, pastas, fried dishes, and salty foods. She is not into any kind
of vice.
- It was also noted that she alternately wears eyeglasses and contact lenses.
 Lyla Aquino

- She suffers from occasional asthma attacks in the form of long-term cough and colds.
Treatment includes the usual cough syrups such as Neozep as well as the common cold
formulations such as Carbocisteine.
- She has a history of urinary tract infection in her early childhood, but was given immediate
antibiotic treatment.
- Her diet is very much limited to soups, pasta, and fried and salty foods.

E. VALUES AND PRACTICES ON HEALTH PROMOTION/MAINTENANCE AND

DISEASE PREVENTION

All of the family members have completed their basic vaccinations such as BCG, OPV, DPT,
Hepatitis B, and Measles. Mrs. Thea has also received the full range of tetanus toxoid
immunizations during and after pregnancy. As for Lyra and Lyla, Hepatitis A and B, and
Measles vaccinations were re-administered as recommended by their pediatricians. Both are
also receiving yearly doses of Meningococcal, Pneumococcal, and Influenza vaccines.
The family takes vitamin supplements which includes Centrum, Taheebo, and Ascorbic Acid.
They also make it a point to drink milk (Anlene, Bear Brand) everyday to ensure that calcium
needs are met. Aside from these, they also undergo annual screenings (laboratory exams, X-
ray, CT scans, MRI, Pap smear, etc.) and executive check-ups (medical and dental).
The required rest and sleep hours are reached by the whole family most of the time, except
for some unavoidable circumstances (e.g. increased workload, too much schoolwork, and a
lot of household chores that need attending to). In this regard, the family makes sleep as one
of their major “relaxation” activities. However, they still engage in other hobbies such as
Airsoft, bowling, and golf (for Mr. Erwin); swimming, reading, internet surfing/gaming (for
Lyra); playing with dolls, the lyre, plus singing and dancing (for Lyla); cooking, strolling,
and phoning friends (for Mrs. Thea). They also go to the spa from time to time and have their
selves be pampered. Concerning exercising, the family does not follow a strict routine for
such vigorous activities however; each one sees to it that they do stretch some muscles once
in a while by walking or jogging. As for other preventive measures taken by the family, each
one sees to it that he/she is protected from the changing weather by bringing umbrellas and
jackets all the time. Fluid intake is also very much monitored. Although they do not follow a
very good diet, junkfoods and sweets are taken by the family in minimal amounts and such
foods should only be taken during the weekend as much as possible. Protection from vectors
is achieved by putting on “Off” lotion, and spraying “Baygon” insect repellant in every
corner of the house (outside and inside).
INITIAL DATABASE FOR FAMILY NURSING
CARE PRACTICE:

AQUINO FAMILY

Submitted to:
Mrs. Sheryl Nudo

Submitted by:
Navarro, Glyza
Posadas, Kristina Grace
NYG TTh 3:00-4:30