Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End in Crazy Challenge Connection

Feb 05, 2019 Olivermagnus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, non-fiction, 2020

I've seen great reviews of Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End since its publication but it never seemed like a book screaming to be read. The author wrote a very intelligent and sensitive examination of the processes of aging and dying. In a time when modern medicine can perform miracles, there is naturally more emphasis with preserving life rather than dealing with end-of-life issues.

I thought this book was so informative. How would I want to spend the last days of my life? The ...more

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Dec 15, 2015 Lindsey rated it liked it

Shelves: wobble-firebirds

My mother was a nurse administrator specializing in geriatrics, and a champion for the elderly being able to live a quality life for as long as possible. I grew up in a house that believed people have a right to choose how they want the end of their life to unravel - my mother went through conversations with her patients and their families about what they wanted in the end, because she felt these decisions should be considered before a person's faculties begin to deteriorate, before they were up My mother was a nurse administrator specializing in geriatrics, and a champion for the elderly being able to live a quality life for as long as possible. I grew up in a house that believed people have a right to choose how they want the end of their life to unravel - my mother went through conversations with her patients and their families about what they wanted in the end, because she felt these decisions should be considered before a person's faculties begin to deteriorate, before they were up against the gun. Very little of what Gawande presents was new for me. When I started reading, I thought it would be a book I'd recommend to everyone, but now I'm not so sure. More troubling, I can't pin down exactly what prevented this book from earning a higher rating from me.

With the debate that's currently going on in Canada about assisted suicide legislation, this could have been a timely read. Gawande argues for quality of life over progressively more invasive procedures that may have little benefit relative to the risks they present when one is faced with a terminal illness, allowing one to live the best life possible in the time that one has. He touches very briefly on assisted suicide in his epilogue, but it appears nowhere within the pages and pages of anecdotes in the meat of the book.

Although he makes his argument quite well, he neglects to confront the fact that some people might want to fight, and for them, that would be the best use of the time they have. The one case he uses where the patient wanted to fight, he couches in words of regret - that she wasn't given the information and opportunity to not fight. This particular patient was also the youngest one he speaks of. I suspect that at a young age, with a young family, the only option that seems valid is to keep fighting death until there are no routes left to take. It takes courage to admit that you're dying, and to accept that and cease medical treatment so you can enjoy that time. It also takes courage to know that your dying, and that no matter the physical cost, you're going to fight that for the slimmest chance of being around for your newborn child's future.

There's a massive cultural gap between healthcare in the US and that in Canada, and it was quite apparent to me whenever Gawande mentioned insurance providers and costs. I also realized that insurance providers are going to fight with all guns blazing against any form of socialized healthcare, which, as a Canadian, I have grown to think of as the best possible system, even with its flaws. As other reviewers have mentioned, Gawande only approaches his subject from an American perspective, which makes this book a step distant from the rest of the English-speaking world (nevermind cultures that aren't descended from the British colonial era.)

Another point made by previous reviewers: what, exactly, are poorer people going to do? If Gawande wanted to write about death in the US, I feel he should have approached the topic of economic inequality and access to healthcare. There are several easily treatable conditions that can also very easily kill - painfully and quickly -if not treated, and when someone is living paycheque to paycheque, going to the doctor is not so simple. Gawande argues that the US is entering the "third stage" of healthcare, where people don't suddenly decline and die at home, where medical care is easily available to all. This is patently not true for the US, and it can only be ignorance, arrogance, or timidity that would cause Gawande to not mention that. I understand that this is not the main subject of his book, but at least a mention of this fact is expected.

Being Mortal was an interesting and thought-provoking read, but did leave quite a bit to be desired. It tackles a difficult subject, but by using anecdotes instead of heavier philosophical wrangling, remains easily readable. Other reviewers have criticized the lack of meat this formula presents, and I'd tend to agree. Many of the issues I've stated in this review could have been tackled if Gawande had been willing to write a book that, arguably, fewer people would be interested in reading (see: Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a book that has been heralded as extremely important, and has also been called "the least finished book ever.") For what it is, it is well written, and an easy read. For what it could have been, for what I would have wanted to read, it was a disappointment. ...more

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Oct 10, 2016 Linda C rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, science

Atul Gawande is a surgeon who has taken a look at modern medicine and its contradictions; focusing on the premise of saving and extending life at the risk of making life unendurable or unacceptable for the individual. He uses real life situations to look at end of life options: nursing homes, palliative care, active medical procedures and alternatives. We are all mortal and that makes this book relevant for everyone. Highly recommended.

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Jul 23, 2017 Alison (Lady Coffin) S rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: a-question-words-in-title, book-club-to-reads, one-color-covers, goal-spring, 201-300-pages

My 4 stars on this is leaning more towards the 4.5, but it is non-fiction, and a tiny bit dry but very good. So, I keep waffling.
That said.....
It is very informative and thought provoking, brings up some ideas about health care that we might of not have considered previously. Also, insightful ideas about how older people are treated and just so much more.

I would highly recommend this to anyone with an older parent BEFORE they need care in a facility. Also, to anyone themselves or a family member ...more

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