THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF COUNSELLING

PSYCHOLOGY, VOL 2, NO 2 (2013)

Assessment of Family
Functionality Among the
Elderly With Chronic Illness
INTRODUCTION
Situations of chronic health
problems can compromise the
functional capacity and
independence of the elderly thus
making them dependent on a
caregiver.

It is also important to know how
each family member perceives
family functionality as some studies
have pointed to a discrepancy in the
way it is perceived by the patients
and by their families, a discrepancy
associated with the diagnosis in
question

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A cross-sectional, non-experimental, descriptive
correlational study was conducted, with a
non-probability sample of convenience
consisting of a total of 294 elderly men and
women living in the district of Viseu - Portugal,
patients of the primary health care unit in their
area of residence.
CRITERIA INCLUSION &
EXCLUSION
Criteria for inclusion were age, 65 years old or
more and their presence in the health care unit,
and the criteria for exclusion were in cases of
disabling psychiatric disease or dementia.
FAMILY APGAR
This is a 5-question assessment tool used for rapid
assessment of family function and dysfunction.
It measures an individuals level of satisfaction about
family relationships.
FAMILY APGAR
Adaptation- the ability of a family to use and share
inherent resources which can be either intra- or
extra-familial
Partnership- the sharing of decision making which
measures the satisfaction of solving problems
through communicating
Growth- pertains to both physical and emotional
aspects and measures the satisfaction of the
freedom to change
Affection- emotions that are shared with and
between family members which measures the
satisfaction with the intimacy and emotional
interaction that exist in the family
Resolve- refers to how time, money, and space are
shared; this measures the satisfaction with the
commitment made by members of the family
FAMILY APGAR
There are 4 basic situations wherein the Family
APGAR is needed:
When the family is directly involved in caring
for the patient.
When treating a new patient in order to get
information to serve as general view of family
function
When treating a patient whose family is in
crisis.
When a patients behavior makes you suspect
a psychosocial problem possibly due to family
dysfunction.
FAMILY APGAR
QUESTIONNAIRE
Helps define the degree of the patients satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with family function
Almost
always
(2)
Some
of the
time
(1)
Hardly
ever
(0)
A
I am satisfied that I can turn to my
family for help when something is
troubling me.
P
I am satisfied with the way my family
talks about things with me and
shares problems with me.
G
I am satisfied that my family accepts
and supports my wishes to take on
new activities or directions.
A
I am satisfied with the way my family
expresses affection and responds to
my emotions such as anger, sorrow,
and love.
R
I am satisfied with the way my family
and I share time together.
FAMILY APGAR
Scoring:
8-10 points = highly functional family
4-7 points = moderately dysfunctional
family
0-3 points = severely dysfunctional family
RESULT

Family
functionally

18,7%
Highly
Functional
26,9%
Mildly
dysfunctional
54,5%
Severely
Dysfunctional
95,2% had
at least
one
chronic
disease
77,9%
cardiovascular
disease
38,3%
musculoskletal
disease
28,9%
endocrine and
metabolic
disease
13,6%
genitourinary
tract
11,6% digestive
disease
10,9% mental
disorders
4,4%
oncological
disease
4,1%
hematological
disease
1% neurogical
disease
CONCLUSION
There is a statistically significant relationship between
the family APGAR and the presence of chronic
illness.
98.1% of the elderly who have chronic diseases
classified their family as being severely dysfunction.
No statistical significance between the family
APGAR and gender, age, marital status and
educational level.