FAMILY CASE STUDY

Family Case Study



Family Case Study

Introduction to case

Luis, 41, and Maria, 40, Perez have immigrated to the US from Argentina with their seven children. Rolando is 19, the eldest and only son in the family. Lupe, 17, Anna, 15, Roselina 13, Gracelia, 10, Yesenia, 8, Gariella, 6 and Maritza, 3, have looked forward to the move to the U. S.

Luis' elderly parents, Ramon, 81, and Carmen, 79, have also come with the family, leaving behind most of their belongings and two dogs that Carmen raised since they were four-week-old puppies.

The family was successful in Argentina but decided to immigrate because Luis felt there would be more opportunities for his children. The family was able to purchase a small piece of land in a rural community in the western part of the U. S. with the intention of producing grapes to market to a winery.

Luis and the children are quite fluent in English although Spanish is the first language used in the home. Maria knows some English but lacks confidence in her ability to speak the language. Ramon and Carmen do not know English at all, have no interest in learning the language, and are committed to keeping tradition alive within the family.

Luis is the youngest son of Ramon and Carmen and was brought up in a strict Catholic home, educated by nuns through 12th grade. Luis has always been in good health and is unusually physically strong. Luis married his childhood sweetheart, Maria, at age 20.

Maria has known Luis her entire life and married Luis at age 19, straight from a convent all-girls' school. Any time they spent together prior to their marriage was chaperoned by a great aunt. Maria's parents died in an accident when she was young. Maria is an only child and once married, Luis' family is now her only family. The marriage is very traditional in roles.

Carmen and Maria had always started their day with mass but can no longer attend church because the closest church is now over 15 miles away and neither of the women know how to drive.

Family Genogram

Description of home environment

Perez home is a small place. It consists of four different rooms. We can start of by describing the kitchen. For a kitchen, it is small. It has two windows but the sun doesn't really shine through them. The stove and refrigerator are right next to each other along with the sink. A small table of four chairs could be fitted, but only use two. The other two chairs are against the wall.

The next room of the house is the living room. The living room is a pretty decent size. There is lovely Italian furniture. Couches have an antique floral look with cherry oak around them. Tables are all cherry oak with marble tops along with the entertainment system. During the day, my living room is filled with light. It has six big windows and one small one. There is also the heater, which comes out from the ...