The Ties that Bind
“Family is not an important thing, it is the only thing.”
Michael J Fox
Yesterday, I was listening to a friend of mine having a discussion about the importance of family and what their function as a unit means to the individual. This conversation set my mind a wondering as I was processing our conversation after we parted ways. Family in the traditional sense is the assumption of our biological family and in the traditional sense I don’t think too many people would argue. Today, I would like to write about the importance of family as a construct, an idea, not what we morally think or believe a family is. Remember, the purpose of these blog is to spread positive and edifying ideas, not get bogged down into political ideologies.
In essence, a family is what you make it. Yes, there is the biological family but for some people, this family can be broken and hurtful…so where does that leave someone looking to develop the idea of family? In pondering the conversation I had with my friend, we all belong to several families and all with their own unique qualities. We have our “work” family, our “community” family, “church” family, “club” family, “academic” family, “athletic” family and so on. The various social groups that we interact with have a potential to develop into a family type association. But what does being a part of family mean? Even though every family is different, there are some common characteristics that guide our thoughts to what a healthy family is. Strong family characteristics (whatever type your family is) involve good communications…going both ways, making a commitment to the family unit, spend quality time together (Not with tech in hand all sitting in the same room! Refer to the first quality above!), and finally (this is the big one which helps bind everything else) respect each other. These are all qualities that I look for in all my family groups. By demonstrating these four basic qualities, groups can develop the emotional bonds that are strong enough to develop a sense of family.
How does this all come back and relate to health and wellness? People who feel as though they belong to a family unit have a greater feeling of security. With the emotional bonds that tie each of us together we have an understanding that if something where to go wrong we know that our family will be there to help lift us up and help us to carry on. At one point or another, we have all been on the receiving end or the giving end of trying to help someone at work or in our community...acting as though we were trying to help a family member. In Home healthcare, family support is critical for the welfare of the patient, we all just need to expand on our idea of what it really means to be family. Ask yourself, if you suddenly needed help, who would you like to reach out and extend that helping hand?
I know that the concept of family is one that is under scrutiny, but if look at it from the point of values I shared above, family is what you make it and the trust and affection that you develop between family members, those of the ties that truly bind.
Thank you as always for reading, I hope you all get a chance and go out and enjoy the beautiful, summer like weather today. Don’t forget, if you have any questions or comments, please shoot me an email at wmreid@bhcshealth.com and I will get back to you pronto. Have a great day and take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com