| Epilepsy is a chronic health condition characterized by excessive amounts of electrical activity in the brain, causing seizures. Although anyone who has epilepsy can face difficult challenges, affecting all parts of their lives, living in a rural area exacerbates the difficulties involved. This project employed a political economic perspective, aided by cumulative disadvantage theory, to explore the lives of rural adults who have epilepsy. Two years were spent in the community of "Bear Lick" in order to learn about life in a small community. In addition to the twelve adults with epilepsy who took part in this project, three health care providers and three social network members were also interviewed, in order to gain a more complete understanding of the experience.; Through the analysis of the interview transcripts and the fieldnotes that resulted from visits with the participants and from community events, the experience of rural epilepsy was divided up into several different aspects or contexts. These are the biological, the social, the economic, the educational, the infrastructure, and the legal contexts. Each of these contexts, in addition to affecting the individual with epilepsy, can affect and interact with other contexts. The most salient issue, however, is the economic situation of the person with epilepsy. After examining these aspects, suggestions for improvement for rural adults with epilepsy are suggested. |
