Michael J. Fox and the Socioeconomic

Canadian-born television and film actor, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinsons infirmity at the age of thirty. In his memoir, gold Man, Fox reveals how he has been spiritedly struggling with the ailment, by also nerve-wracking to help other longanimouss torment from the illness with no cure. As a matter of fact, the man has been trying very hard to convince the g overnment as well as medical researchers to invent a cure for Parkinsons Disease. Fox has been an countenance for stem cells research to boot, and believes that a cure to Parkinsons Disease could be found within ten years time, set asided that we directly begin to prep ar our finances to good h elderly, that is, to find a cure for the disease done research.Fox continued his acting loter for nine years afterwards he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons. What is more, the man continues to be a creation figure with his advocacy for medical research to find a cure for Parkinsons Disease. myriad commonwealt h paltry from Parkinsons Disease choose the closet over public appearance for the fear that they might lose their balance in the first place the public eye. This is non the case with Fox, as mentioned originally. On the contrary, Fox has been up to(p) 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 wellness foreboding cave in than do those sufferers who come from funkyer socioeconomic backgrounds. Fox explains it thusId been presumptuousness a lot to think about, not least the fact that I wasnt the sole(prenominal) 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 witness closet had been. My c areer, my stead in the world, andmy financial situation gave me advantages in confronting the disease that most of my fellowP.D.ers co uld tho dream about. And now, having publicly identified myself as a personliving with Parkinsons disease, there was little to exert me from playing an active role.Indeed, I was ideally positioned to step into the void go away 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 mechanical press Into the Classroom).There were various entities interested in exploiting Foxs position in the world with view to his disease. While flock 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 wanted 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 continued public support in his life with Parkinsons DiseaseBy the disagreement of 1998, my desk was covered with correspondence bearing the letterhead ofvarious Parkinsons organizations across the country. every last(predicate) of them wanted my help in one wayor another(prenominal). The names of some of these groups implied a national reach, scarce on closer watch they turned out to be local organizations affiliated with universities or hospitals or even up individual researchers. Some were not set up to wield research at all instead, theywere dedicating their time and resources to more basic patient concerns, apprehensiongiver supportgroups, quality-of-life issues, and other worthwhile considerations (Out of the Closet Into theClassroom).Fox is, indeed, a lucky man, who has been dealings with Parkinsons Disease much better than do those who befool not the kind of financial term and position in the world as his. In point of fact, it has been well documented that people from around the world who are wealthi er and better educated do get a line better health than those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds who have both less(prenominal)(prenominal) wealth and less education. Smoking, poor nutrition, as well as sensible inactivity are more prevalent in groups that are low in socioeconomic status.Additionally, low socioeconomic groups have little or no annoy to preventive health care, for example, regular health checkups and covert programs. These medical services are easily accessed by people from high(prenominal) socioeconomic backgrounds alone. What is more, financial barriers to health care are more seeming to perpetuate the existing disparities in health among different socioeconomic groups (Veugelers and Yip). pot from low socioeconomic backgrounds are unable to afford pricey heathland services that may save their lives. Neither can they afford costly health insurance that would cover the kinds of health services that Fox may be exploitation at present to fight the disease h e is suffering from. As compared to Foxs relatively successful contend 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 specialiser medical services are underused in the case of lower socioeconomic groups, and this widens the socioeconomic gap in health care (Veugelers and Yip). harmonise to another study, lower socioeconomic groups are more alike(p)ly to use the Medicare managed care space 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 alternate options. In fact, evidence suggests that 15.5 percent of Medicare plan enrollees living below the indigence line use home health during a year, as compared to only 11.2 percent of people who live above th e poverty line. Moreover, those who belong to the net 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 plausibly 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. altogether the same, these options are only available to those who can afford them. In the check into that he is, Fox may be assumed to be using private assistance i n the home. Although he is not aged, the man is expect 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 unconditional attend 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 sporty growthIts hard to process what Im seeing. It cant be possible, but inside this tight, dark, airlessspace, a tree has been growing. Growing isnt even the word for it, really, its absolutely easy. 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 branches reaching out into the airy argus-eyed of thekit chen 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 attached with worse outcomes on health status measures such as mortality, ague 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 controvert mind set of adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are more likely to attempt suicide, and engage in heavy drinking. These youngsters are also cognise 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 households have little physician contact, do not have access to a regular s ource of primary care as well as sick care, and are less likely to have continuity among the sources of regular and sick care. As compared to the poor, children from high socioeconomic backgrounds obtain ask 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 between the haves and the have-nots in terms of health care. Funding medical research on Parkinsons Disease, Foxs behavior is aligned with his positive 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 difference 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, common health coverage, such as Medicare, may already be bridging the gap. level off 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 socioe conomic 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.