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Health, Medicine, Nursing
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Reflective Exercise: Familism

Essay Instructions:

discuss the following:
Mr. Perez is a 76-year-old Mexican American who was recently diagnosed with a slow heartbeat requiring an implanted pacemaker. Mr. Perez has been married for 51 years and has 6 adult children (three daughters aged 50, 48, and 42; three sons aged 47, 45, and 36), 11 grandchildren; and 2 great grandchildren. The youngest boy lives three houses down from Mr. and Mrs. Perez. The other children, except the second-oldest daughter, live within 3 to 10 miles from their parents. The second-oldest daughter is a registered nurse and lives out of state. All members of the family except for Mr. Perez were born in the United States. He was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 18 in order to work and send money back to the family in Mexico. Mr. Perez has returned to Mexico throughout the years to visit and has lived in Texas ever since. He is retired from work in a machine shop.
Mr. Perez has one living older brother who lives within 5 miles. All members of the family speak Spanish and English fluently. The Perez family is Catholic, as evidenced by the religious items hanging on the wall and prayer books and rosary on the coffee table. Statues of St. Jude and Our Lady of Guadalupe are on the living room table. Mr. and Mrs. Perez have made many mandas (bequests) to pray for the health of the family, including one to thank God for the healthy birth of all the children, especially after the doctor had discouraged them from having any more children after the complicated birth of their first child. The family attends Mass together every Sunday morning and then meets for breakfast chorizo at a local restaurant frequented by many of their church’s other parishioner families. Mr. Perez believes his health and the health of his family are in the hands of God.
The Perez family lives in a modest four-bedroom ranch home that they bought 22 years ago. The home is in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood located in the La Loma section of town. Mr. and Mrs. Perez are active in the church and neighborhood community. The Perez home is usually occupied by many people and has always been the gathering place for the family. During his years of employment, Mr. Perez was the sole provider for the family and now receives social security checks and a pension. Mrs. Perez is also retired and receives a small pension for a short work period as a teacher’s aide. Mr. and Mrs. Perez count on their nurse daughter to guide them and advise on their health care.
Mr. Perez visits a curandero for medicinal folk remedies. Mrs. Perez is the provider of spiritual, physical, and emotional care for the family. In addition, their nurse daughter is always present during any major surgeries or procedures. Mrs. Perez and her daughter the nurse will be caring for Mr. Perez during his procedure for a pacemaker.
1. Explain the significance of family and kinship for the Perez family.
2. Describe the importance of religion and God for the Perez family.
3. Identify two stereotypes about Mexican Americans that were dispelled in this case with the Perez family.
4. What is the role of Mrs. Perez in this family?

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Your initial post should be formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.

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Reflective Exercise: Mr. Perez and Family
Mexican beliefs, tradition, and culture are shaped by one significant trait, namely familism. This is a very evident value that is practiced even in the modern generations, including those already living in the United States of America. In the case of Mr. Perez, this can be demonstrated by the close ties that each member has with one another, as seen by the close proximity of the residences of most of his children. In addition to this, the routines of the Perez family are truly intertwined, such as the weekly worship services on Sundays. It is evident the bond transcends generations, and even the grandchildren are raised to be active in being part of the family and close and respectful of their grandparents. The family in the Mexican culture is considered a major influence on an individual, and it is most often prioritized or at least considered when making decisions (Doubova et al., 2018). Family gives a sense of identity for the individual while also serving as a support system. In the Perez household, it can be demonstrated by the support of the family towards the medical procedure that Mr. Perez needs to undergo. It has also been stated that the nurse daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Perez is always present during surgeries or procedures. It is a form of support that can also be connected to the prominent familism in the Mexican culture. When discussing families in the Mexican culture, it is also worth noting that the family follows a patriarchal system wherein the father of the family makes the major decisions and is seen as the primary provider and authoritative head of the family.
The religion of the Perez family and the majority of Mexican families is Catholic Christian. Religion has a big influence on the tradition and practices of Mexican families (Moreno & Cardemil, 2018). As demonstrated by the Perez family, attending mass together as a family is part of the weekly practice. It also shows how this tradition helps bind families together, including other people and Mexican families in society. Aside from going to mass every Sunday morning, being a Catholic Christian also shows in the house of the Perez family due to many symbolic figures in their residence. Examples of these are prayer books, rosaries, statues of saints, and known personalities like St. Jude and Our Lady of Guadalupe. The religious beliefs and faith of the Perez family also show how it can affect their medical and life decisions (Doubova et al., 2018). Like many Mexican families, the faith that Perez family has, believing that God’s grace and saving can surpass any medical condition if it is God’s will. An example would be going against medical advice that the Perez couple received from a doctor about not having any more babies due to the complicated birth process that Mrs. Perez had undergone for her to deliver her firstborn child safely. However, since the Perez couple put their health in God’s hands, they still created a family of eight. A part of this decision may also be influenced by the belief in the saying in the Catholic Christian faith to “have as many children as God ha...
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