Being Mortal, Atul Gawande (4)
I believe this is an important book for all to read,
though I’ll add the caveat that it is painful to read. The descriptions of
aging, the sad tales of terminal patients and the obvious soul searching we are
urged to do with regards to our own feelings and those of loved ones. With data
and examples, Dr. Gawande illustrates how we have become a culture with
advanced medicine that uses those advancements to draw out our lives, often
with disregard to the quality. While the average person died (relatively quickly
and peacefully) at home in the 1940’s, we now live longer and tend to die of
frailty in a medical facility as the many larger maladies are staved off with advanced
medical treatments. Living longer can be great, but he points out how often we
(family members, loved ones) tend to forget there are still choices that can be
made to keep the quality of life worthwhile – and how important it is to
understand how each person defines that quality. While the discussion is
painful, I can see the importance of understanding the person’s fears, wants
and needs while making decisions that can hugely affect their daily life.
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