Case Study: The Socioeconomic Status Of A Family

It’s hard to image that somewhere in America there is a family that is struggling with not having proper healthcare. Most times when we hear of such families we instantly think that they must be in Africa. Laurie Kaye Abraham reveals in “Mama might be better off dead” that many African American families have trouble getting medical attention. Abraham tells us about an African American family who live in North Lawndale. Jackie Banes watches over her grandmother who is diabetic, her husband who needs kidney Dialysis at least three times a week, and three healthy but a handful children. The Banes are in constant in need of medical attention for either her grandmother or her husband. Like most low income families the Banes have had trouble with …show more content…
Social factors such as having low income can affect more than one part of a person’s life. Based on the five social classes in sociology, the Banes family would be placed in the lower class. Not only do they have a very low income but every month they struggle to make ends meet to simply have to depend on Medicare to provide care for Robert and Jackie’s grandmother. At one point in the Jackie had to give up on becoming a caregiver for her grandmother because that would cause her to lose her benefits (Abraham Chapter 3). Its situations like these that help form a better understanding of why the Banes go through what they go through. Not only do they lack income to obtain better health services but they are also in a constant battle of trying to keep their already low income below the poverty …show more content…
53). Many of the problems that Jackie faced with Robert’s treatment was lack of education. It seemed as if Roberts did not fully understand the seriousness of his condition. Though he was undergoing dialysis he still continued to smoke. It’s not just the lack of education of the Banes but also on the behalf of the doctors. When we look at the doctors we noticed they are not well educated about low income families. They simply gave medicine and said their parts without asking whether or not the Banes family understood what was expected of them. As a physician it is their job as well as the patients to make sure that the patient is healing and regaining function. Even a simple task as a reminder about an appointment would help. In Mama might be better off dead, we see that Brianna, Jackie’s daughter, never received her immunization and though it might be Jackie’s fault as well the doctor could have asked for a reminder to be send (Abraham chapter 10). Most families similar to the Banes are too busy worrying about those relatives that are already sick that they forget the importance of staying healthy and keeping up with their shots to prevent them from also getting