Sarah Buchanan is a nursing student who is doing a home health care nursing clinical. She is assigned to visit Ted Wall, a 50-year-old black man who is in the late stage of AIDS. His wife Sheri is also 50 years old and is raising their daughter’s two children who are 3 and 5 years of age. Sheri does not work outside the home. Ted is receiving Social Security benefits. The mother of the children is in jail for dealing drugs. The children’s father has not been involved with them at all. Sarah determines that this is an example of what type of family?

Alternative family is a relatively new evolved type of family structure that include family life types that are entirely different from the usual traditional family that consists of a father, a mother and the children. Alternative family is a non—traditional family type that embraces models of family life, such as lesbian/gay families, single—parent households, adopting individuals, women—headed families, IVF etc.

In the traditional family model or nuclear family, the man is meant to be the main provider of the needs of the family, and to be supported by the wife, while the wife is to provide home care to the children and the husband. In the case cited in the question, the family life seen in Ted’s family is in contrast with what an ideal traditional family model should look like. It is an example of an alternative family.