Summary Of Being Mortal By Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal and the corresponding Frontline Program described many examples of individuals being diagnosed with terminal illnesses and how they and the medical professionals responded to their diagnoses (2014). I was surprised to learn that Gawande, who is an oncologist, and many of his colleagues did not want to tell their terminally ill patients that they are dying. Informing someone that they are dying would not be a pleasant task to undertake, however I thought that doctors were comfortable engaging in these difficult conversations because it is part of their job. Instead it seems that doctors are perhaps slightly in denial of what their profession can do to cure patients, which is understandable. Many people probably …show more content…
Pets, the option of preparing their own meals, input on the menu with various options of what to eat and when, and their choice of activities could all be available. Another idea is to run the facility more like an apartment building or community with a homeowner association instead of a medical facility. Perhaps there could be a physician and nurses available, but they allow the residents more flexibility in their care. For example, the residents could choose whether or not to follow diet restrictions. I feel that if a person has survived into old age, they should be allowed to eat whatever they want, whenever they want. I know I would be upset if I wasn’t allowed to have something sweet and fatty every day, even though I know it isn’t healthy.
In Aging Matters, sections of the text described the benefits of older adults volunteering in elementary schools and being adoptive grandparents (Hooyman, Kawamoto, & Kiyak). Fostering relationships between the elderly and young is a great opportunity for older adults to feel that they contribute to society, form connections with the younger generation, improve mental capabilities, and increase the younger generations awareness, relationships, and positive attitudes towards the …show more content…
I don’t even like to consider the fact that one day I will die. Death is such an unknown. We all hope to live a long, high quality, and healthy life, but we don’t consider the alternative. We don’t talk to our family and fill out advance directives because we don’t want to face death. We don’t want to have difficult conversations, even though we all know that someday we will die. If we were more open and accepting of death, perhaps we would not fear it as much. We might be more willing to talk about the quality of our final months instead of focusing on the quantity. We would feel more comfort knowing our loved ones are comfortable and receiving the kind of care they desire instead of receiving treatments, such as chemotherapy, which have many negative side