Michael J. Fox and the Socioeconomic

Canadian-born television and film actor, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinsons unsoundness at the age of thirty. In his memoir, fortunate Man, Fox reveals how he has been spiritedly struggling with the unwellnessiness, by also toilsome to help other affected roles scathe from the illness with no cure. As a matter of fact, the man has been trying very hard to convince the g everyplacenment as well as medical examination researchers to fetch a cure for Parkinsons Disease. Fox has been an counselling for stem cells research to boot, and believes that a cure to Parkinsons Disease could be found within ten years time, fork upd that we at a time begin to come out our finances to good engross, that is, to find a cure for the disease by means of research.Fox continued his acting palmer for nine years after(prenominal) he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons. What is more, the man continues to be a unrestricted figure with his protagonism for medical research to find a c ure for Parkinsons Disease. unnumer open battalion misfortunate from Parkinsons Disease choose the closet over public appearance for the fear that they might lose their balance onward the public eye. This is non the case with Fox, as mentioned ahead. On the contrary, Fox has been able to bravely fight his disease with all the public support he has already gathered. Moreover, the man has the money to push for medical research in the atomic number 18a. He also has the funds to manage his health financial aid burst than do those sufferers who come from low-toneder socioeconomic backgrounds. Fox explains it thusId been granted a lot to think about, not least the fact that I wasnt the precisely one who had done my time in the closet. And the more I thought about it, the more it struck me just how plush,well-appointed, and secure my protest closet had been. My c arer, my personate in the world, andmy financial situation gave me advantages in confronting the disease that m ost of my fellowP.D.ers could notwithstanding dream about. And now, having publicly identified myself as a personliving with Parkinsons disease, there was little to stop me from playing an active role.Indeed, I was ideally positioned to step into the void leave by all those patients who had somuch more to lose by going public. I had a lot to be grateful for, and now found myself with aunique opportunity to give something back (Out of the insistence Into the Classroom).There were various entities interested in exploiting Foxs position in the world with watch to his disease. While plenty that do not enjoy the privileges that Fox enjoyed in his financial situation while suffering from Parkinsons Disease, remained closeted, Fox was approached by a variety of people that precious to use his interest in medical research to actually find a cure for the dreadful disease. After all, Fox was also alter toward helping people with the disease with his own finances. Thus, he mentions cont inued public support in his life with Parkinsons DiseaseBy the decease of 1998, my desk was covered with correspondence bearing the letterhead ofvarious Parkinsons organizations across the country. all of them wanted my help in one wayor some other. The name of some of these groups implied a national reach, entirely on closer inspection they turned out to be local organizations affiliated with universities or hospitals or nonetheless(prenominal) individual researchers. Some were not set up to talk research at all instead, theywere dedicating their time and resources to more basic patient concerns, alimonygiver supportgroups, quality-of-life issues, and other worthwhile considerations (Out of the Closet Into theClassroom).Fox is, indeed, a lucky man, who has been relations with Parkinsons Disease much better than do those who withdraw not the kind of financial spot and position in the world as his. In point of fact, it has been well documented that people from around the wo rld who are wealthier and better educated do generate better health than those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds who have both less(prenominal) wealth and less education. Smoking, poor nutrition, as well as somatic inactivity are more prevalent in groups that are low in socioeconomic status.Additionally, low socioeconomic groups have little or no doorway to preventive health care, for example, regular health checkups and coating programs. These medical services are easily accessed by people from higher(prenominal)(prenominal) socioeconomic backgrounds alone. What is more, financial barriers to health care are more probably to perpetuate the existing disparities in health among different socioeconomic groups (Veugelers and Yip). sight from low socioeconomic backgrounds are unable to afford pricey heath services that whitethorn save their lives. Neither can they afford dear(predicate) health insurance that would cover the kinds of health services that Fox may be victimizatio n at present to fight the disease he is suffering from. As compared to Foxs relatively successful scramble with Parkinsons Disease, the low socioeconomic groups have to bear a great burden of disease. Correspondingly, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds have a greater need for health services (Veugelers and Yip).One research study revealed that specialist medical services are underused in the case of lower socioeconomic groups, and this widens the socioeconomic gap in health care (Veugelers and Yip). tally to another study, lower socioeconomic groups are more uniformly to use the Medicare managed care kin health as compared to higher socioeconomic groups.Not only do people from lower socioeconomic groups need greater care, but they also rely on Medicare because they are unable to afford option options. In fact, evidence suggests that 15.5 percent of Medicare plan enrollees living below the poverty line use home health during a year, as compared to only 11.2 percent of people who live above the poverty line. Moreover, those who belong to the last(a) socioeconomic groups have almost twice the betting odds of persons from the highest socioeconomic groups to use the Medicare plan. People who are relatively higher in socioeconomic status than those in the lowest socioeconomic group, have approximately 1.5 times the odds of other people having a home health visit (Freedom et al.)According to Freedman et al., people from high socioeconomic backgrounds might believe that the Medicare managed care home health is an inferior good. In other words, people from higher socioeconomic groups are more in all probability to use alternative options like assisted living and the hiring of private assistance outside the benefits of Medicare (Freedman et al.).Such options are believed to give access to better home health care to the aged. all(prenominal) the same, these options are only available to those who can afford them. In the tick off that he is, Fox may be assumed to be using private assistance in the home. Although he is not aged, the man is judge to have hired someone qualified by now for his home health care. Regardless of the truth of this assumption, the fact remains that Fox is dealing with his illness with better health which may inpart be attributable to his collateral spirit set. Apparently, he is not bearing as great a burden of the disease as do the people from lower socioeconomic groups. Fox reveals his positive mind set with the illness, in a dream he had, speaking of his farm and brisk growthIts hard to process what Im seeing. It cant be possible, but inside this tight, dark, closemouthedspace, a tree has been growing. Growing isnt even the word for it, really, its absolutely well-situated. In response to the tight quarters its taken on the appearance of a bonsai tree. Thetrunk and branches are thick, and now, with the door flung open, the tree continues to growright before my eyes, as if in time-lapse, new branche s reaching out into the airy illuminate of thekitchen and bursting into leaf (Los Angeles, March 1995).While Fox dreams of growth and thriving, research reveals that even kids from low socioeconomic groups are doing poorly in terms of health. As a matter of fact, low socioeconomic status is also committed with worse outcomes on health status measures such as mortality, knifelike and chronic conditions, in addition to self-rated measures of health.Contrary to Foxs positive mind set in his struggle to beat Parkinsons disease, is the forbid mind set of adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are more likely to attempt suicide, and engage in heavy drinking. These youngsters are also cognize to be more depressed and obese. Furthermore, poor children and adolescents are given less attention at times when they are suffering from injuries that require medical attention. They additionally face retardation in growth (Newacheck et al.).Children from poor househ oldishs have litt le physician contact, do not have access to a regular source of primary care as well as sick care, and are less likely to have continuity amongst the sources of regular and sick care. As compared to the poor, children from high socioeconomic backgrounds obtain need health care, have a regular source of health care, and are known to receive any care from the doctor that is deemed necessary. Such children are also more likely to be seen in the doctors office (Newacheck et al.).It is obvious that the socioeconomic effects on health care reach all age groups at the same time. The young and the old are similarly affected by their financial status with respect to health care. Unfortunately, everybody does not possess the financial status and position in the world that Fox possesses. Nevertheless, the man is working to bridge the gap mingled with the haves and the have-nots in terms of health care. Funding medical research on Parkinsons Disease, Foxs behavior is aligned with his positiv e mind set that envisions growth and thriving.We may expect such growth and thriving to be experienced between all corners of society only when the going between the haves and the have-nots is eradicated. Although this difference has always been, and may always be, it is possible to provide better health care to low socioeconomic groups. According to Veugelers and Yip, widely distributed health coverage, such as Medicare, may already be bridging the gap. level(p) so, people such as Fox continue to have access to better health care than those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.Works CitedFox, Michael J. Lucky Man. New York, Hyperion, 2002.Freedman, Vicki A., Jeannette Rogowski, Steven L. Wickstrom, John Adams, Jonas Marainen, and Jose J. Escarce. Socioeconomic disparities in the use of home health services in a Medicare managed care population. Health Services Research, October 2004. Newacheck, capital of Minnesota W., Yun Yi Hung, M. Jane Park, Claire D. Brindis, and Charles E. Irwin Jr. Disparities in adolescent health and health care does socioeconomic status matter? Health Services Research, October 2003. Veugelers, P. J., and A. M. Yip. Socioeconomic disparities in health care use does universal coverage reduce inequalities in health? Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, June 2003.