The Incredibles
Ethan Berg Nursing 480 CSU San Marcos
Introduction to the Parr Family The Parr Family, is the secret identity of the super hero family, “The Incredibles.� The Parrs are a traditional nuclear family of five who live in the suburbs of Metroville. Bob Parr is the 40 year old father of the family and his wife is the 35 year old Helen Parr. Bob and Helen have three children: one 14 year old girl named Violet, a 10 year old boy Dash, and a 1 year old boy named Jack-Jack. The family has a tradition of having dinner together at the table each night. The do not have any religious beliefs. Most of the family communication occurs at the table. Ms. Parr usually leads the conversation at the table and updates Mr. Parr on things going on with the kids. A lot of parenting also goes on at the table. The parenting style Mr. and Ms. Parr have is Ms. Parr reprimands their children, but if the kids do not listen to her then she has Mr. Parr involved to discipline the kids. Another tradition they enjoy together is fighting crime and bad guys together. They defeated the super villains Syndrome together and the Underminer. The family also engages in a lot of nonverbal communication together with hugs and kisses. Mr. and Ms. Parr are very affectionate toward one another. The Parrs are in the Duvall developmental stages of a family with young children and a family with adolescents. The tasks of these stages are to accept new members born into the new family system such as Jack-Jack that was born one year ago and an increase in flexibility of family boundaries such as with Violet’s growing independence as an adolescent (Denham, Eggenberger, Young, Krumwiede, 2016).
Dash Parr Age 10 (School-Age) Developmental Stage: Industry vs. Inferiority Dash has blonde parted hair. He runs and moves extremely fast over up to 700 mph. He is a newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic. He likes playing sports with Dad and wants to compete in sports at school. He is very confident in himself, and very playful. When his sister has to baby sit him he is upset. Dash frequently teases his sister but has a strong relationship with her. He has a distaste for girls in general.
Dash Parr’s Type 1 Diabetes Dash was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he turned 10 years of age. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by destruction of Beta cells. Beta cells produce insulin, and their destruction leads to insulin deficiency. Dash has immune mediated Diabetes Mellitus which is from autoimmune destruction of the beta cells. It is common in children and young adults (Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., Wilson, D., 2014). Dash with his condition has to make a lot of changes to his life. Now he has to start getting insulin therapy and monitor his blood glucose. He also has to have a diabetic low carb diet to keep his blood sugar from going too high or high carbs when his blood sugar is low.. More things he was told he needs to learn are the signs of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. These changes are difficult for Dash and the family.
Bob Parr Age 40 (Young Adulthood) Developmental Stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation, Bob Parr is the Father and leader of the Parr family. He is a blonde and overweight. Bob has super strength, and brings an income for the family at an insurance job and as a super hero. He has occasional anger outbursts, and misses his glory days. Bob is sometimes distracted from family affairs because of job. He loves his wife and children and is very protective of them. He has been happily married to his wife 15 years.
Helen Parr Age 35 (Young Adulthood) Developmental Stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation Helen Parr is the Mother of the Parr family. She is skinny and has red hair. Her super power is she can stretch body into many shapes and length. She stays at home to take care of kids and is very independent. Before getting married and having children she was an independent super hero called Elastigirl, until she fell in love with Mr. Incredible. She has been happily married to husband for 15 years and has no regrets of leaving the independent super hero life for her family.
Violet Parr Age 14 (Adolescent) Developmental Stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion Violet is the older sister of Dash Parr. She is a tall and has black hair. She turns invisible and can make force fields. Her demeanor is shy and insecure. She is at the age where she has her first real crush on a boy from High School. Violet is very responsible and takes care of her younger brothers when Mom is gone. She argues with her brother Dash often, but they have a strong relationship with each other. .
Jack-Jack Parr Age 1 (Toddler) Developmental Stage: Autonomy vs. Shame or Doubt Jack-Jack Parr is Dash’s younger brother. He has spiky red hair. His super power is the ability to shape change into multiple forms such as fire, metal, and shoot laser beams from his eyes. His language use is that he makes noises, and laughs but does not say any words. His activity is crawling and creeping, but no walking. He likes to play with blocks and shapes and is eating exclusively solid blended foods.
Family Strengths Dash goes to school with Violet, so she can help make sure he is taking care of his Diabetes along with the school nurse. She is mature enough to help care for her brother and to understand Diabetes. Helen is able to prepare meals for Dash that can help him manage his blood sugar. Helen can also help him take his insulin when he is home in the morning and when he comes home from school because she doesn’t work. Mr. Parr encourages Dash to engage in physical activity which can lower Dash’s insulin requirements (Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., Wilson, D., 2014).
Family Challenges The Parr family has a toddler, which requires a lot of care and attention from Helen that Dash needs for his Diabetes. There is no support in the Parr family from extended family or friends to help take care of the kids if Dash needed to go to the hospital. Mr. Parr is frequently gone on secret super hero missions so if an emergency happens with Dash such as DKA (Diabetic Keto Acidosis) he is unable to help.
Family Theory- Bioecological Systems Theory Microsystem- Is defined as the settings in which individuals/ families experience and create day-to-day reality. Applying the Bioecological theory at the microsystem level to Dash’s condition, the nurse would ask Dash, Violet and his parents what their routine is for managing his Type 1 Diabetes, their knowledge of Type 1 Diabetes, the effects the condition is having on each of the family members individually and their relationships with each other (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, Hanson, 2015). Mesosystem- Is the interaction of a microsystem with other microsystems such as peers, school, religion, and other families. The nurse at this level would ask Dash’s parents how his condition is managed while he is at school and if it has affected his ability to perform in school. The nurse should also assess if Dash has any peer support of other kids with Type 1 Diabetes (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, Hanson, 2015). Exosystem- Includes the external environment such as a career that effects individuals and the family directly or indirectly. The nurse would determine how Mr. Parr being absent on frequent secret super hero missions causes him to be less engaged in helping to take care of Dash’s condition and the family. (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, Hanson, 2015). Macrosystem- Comprises of the broad cultural attitudes of the culture in which the family lives. The nurse would assess how Metroville’s cultural views of animosity toward super heroes effects Dash’s and the family’s ability to function and fit into their community and have community support for his condition (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, Hanson, 2015). Chronosystem- Encompasses the effect time has on all the other systems. The nurse would take into consideration in assessing how Dash’s shift in a few years into adolescence and later into adulthood will affect his observance of effectively caring for his diabetes as he starts to seek more autonomy and provide more selfcare (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, Hanson, 2015).
Interventions and Expected Outcomes 1.
The Parr family does not have any social support for their child with Type 1 Diabetes. An expected outcome is that they will identify and use appropriate support systems. The intervention to achieve that outcome is to provide a list of support groups such as the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and online support groups. The rationale for social support is that social support has been shown to be an integral part of maintaining caregiver and family health (Quinn, Murray, Malone, 2014).
2.
Dash does not have any peer support for his Type 1 Diabetes. An expected outcome is that Dash would have at least one peer with Type 1 Diabetes to talk about his condition with. The intervention to achieve that outcome is to recommend Dash attend an American Diabetes Association camp. The rationale for peer support is that peer support has been shown to be an effective way of preventing adverse effects of chronic illnesses (Lewis, Klineberg, Towns, Moore, Steinbeck, 2016).
3.
Siblings of children with Type 1 Diabetes like Violet are at risk for developing emotional disturbances, problem behaviors, low self-esteem and poor social interaction. An expected outcome is that Violet will effectively cope with her brother’s chronic health condition. The intervention to achieve that outcome is to provide individualized therapy and education specific for siblings. The rationale for this is so Violet can better contribute to Dash’s care, and her specific concerns can be addressed (Doughtery, 2015).
References The Incredibles. Created By Disney Pixar. All Rights Reserved Disney Wikia. (2017). The Incredibles. Retrieved from: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/The_Incredibles Dougherty, J. P. (2015). The Experience of Siblings of Children With Type 1 Diabetes. Pediatric Nursing, 41(6), 279-305 Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., Wilson, D. (2014). Maternal child nursing care. (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO. Mosby. Pixar Wikia. (2017). The Incredibles. Retrieved from: http://pixar.wikia.com/wiki/The_Incredibles Kaakinen, J.R., Coehlo, D.P., Seele, R., Tabacco, A., & Hanson, S.M.H. (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory, Practice and Research Lewis, P., Klineberg, E., Towns, S., Moore, K., & Steinbeck, K. (2016). The Effects of Introducing Peer Support to Young People with a Chronic Illness. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 25(8), 2541-2553. doi:10.1007/s10826-016-0427-4 Quinn, K., Murray, C., & Malone, C. (2014). Spousal experiences of coping with and adapting to caregiving for a partner who has a stroke: A meta-analysis of qualitative research. Disability and Rehabilitation, 36(3), 185–198. [The Incredibles Family] Retrieved from: http://thefilmblogger2.blogspot.com/2015/08/theincredibles-5-stars.html [I feel different, Is different okay?] Retrieved from: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Incredibles [Untied The Incredibles Family} Retrieved from: https://www.magzter.com/article/Children/Star-Children/The-Incredibles-TheSuperpower-Family [Mr. Incredible] Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Incredible [Ms. Incredible] Retrieved from: https://www.giantbomb.com/mrs-incredible/30059494/games/ [Untitled Dash Incredible] Retrieved from: https://disneypeliculasdeprincesas.blogspot.com.es/2013_01_01_archive.html?view=sn apshot [Dash Parr] Retrieved from: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Dash_Parr_Promo_1.jpg [Violet Parr] Retrieved from: https://www.giantbomb.com/violet-parr/3005-14499/games/ [Jak-Jak Parr] Retireved from http://hero.wikia.com/wiki/Jack-Jack_Parr