Being Mortal: Medicine and what Matters in the End by Atul Gawande 362.175 Gaw

   

I read a lot and every so often I find a book that I think everyone should read - and this is one of them.  The following is a quote that appears on the Amazon page and it sums it up nicely:
"This book could be a game changer, if enough people read it and take it to heart. Atul Gawande addresses end-of-life care, and how we're getting it wrong, both within the medical establishment and in our families."  N. B. Kennedy

I truly believe that.  Gawande explains the history and background of how we got here - to a society that seems unable to talk about the end and all of the things that can happen to us and to our loved ones. We get a look into the institutional housing of our elderly and how their residents react to different situations.  We see how something as simple as live plants can make a huge difference.  His book is filled with stories.  At the beginning they are people he met through his professional life as a doctor but later it becomes more personal as his family members face these end-of-life obstacles.  And when it becomes personal everything changes and it is not as easy.  

And as with every good American story a lot of things come down to money.  Taking away choices in a residential home is a cost saving measure.  I think the descriptions in the book will make you think and I hope will lead you to have some meaningful conversations with the people in your life. 

This book is available at the library and WILBOR offers it as an e-book and an audiobook.

Click here to check our catalog for availability.