Whats Eating Gilbert Grape
Gilbert Grape, who is Arnie's brother, and his sisters (Amy and Ellen) have developed roles for themselves involving specific household tasks. Gilbert is presented as the main provider of the family, working at a small grocery store in town, and spending a majority of his time watching over and caring for Arnie.
Gilbert is the narrator of the film and explains at the beginning of the film that Arnie was not expected to live as long as he has. Gilbert described the setting of the plot, a town called Endora, as a place where "nothing much happens, and nothing ever will." It is obvious from this statement that he has developed a negative outlook on life and the future, and as the film progressed it became clear why he had this attitude. Therefore, the problem I found within this film was the caregiver and role stress experienced by Gilbert and his sisters. This problem is relevant to nursing because nurses are responsible for assessing caregiver roles, support systems, and attempting to implement successful strategies of care. A research article by Margaret England stated that, "North American nurses typically rely on assessment tools for assistance in recognizing cues for caregiver strain in the self-reports of caregivers" (England, 2000). The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CSQ) is a 54-item, Likert type scale, implemented to determine the level of caregiver strain. Nurses should be alert to recognizing caregiver strain and aware of the interventions to adapt.
This issue greatly influenced family dynamics throughout the film. At the beginning of the film, Gilbert narrates and explains the roles of the family members. Momma is a morbidly obese woman, as he later refers to as a "beached whale", that does not move from her chair in front of the television. The family moves the table from the kitchen to her seat at each meal, brings her food and cigarettes, blankets, and basically provides total care for her. Her condition has been this way since her husband/the
Gilbert is the narrator of the film and explains at the beginning of the film that Arnie was not expected to live as long as he has. Gilbert described the setting of the plot, a town called Endora, as a place where "nothing much happens, and nothing ever will." It is obvious from this statement that he has developed a negative outlook on life and the future, and as the film progressed it became clear why he had this attitude. Therefore, the problem I found within this film was the caregiver and role stress experienced by Gilbert and his sisters. This problem is relevant to nursing because nurses are responsible for assessing caregiver roles, support systems, and attempting to implement successful strategies of care. A research article by Margaret England stated that, "North American nurses typically rely on assessment tools for assistance in recognizing cues for caregiver strain in the self-reports of caregivers" (England, 2000). The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CSQ) is a 54-item, Likert type scale, implemented to determine the level of caregiver strain. Nurses should be alert to recognizing caregiver strain and aware of the interventions to adapt.
This issue greatly influenced family dynamics throughout the film. At the beginning of the film, Gilbert narrates and explains the roles of the family members. Momma is a morbidly obese woman, as he later refers to as a "beached whale", that does not move from her chair in front of the television. The family moves the table from the kitchen to her seat at each meal, brings her food and cigarettes, blankets, and basically provides total care for her. Her condition has been this way since her husband/the