Being Mortal By Atul Gawandee

Not a so cheerful topic but a necessary discussion; we as med students, doctors ,human beings need to have.

After reading Paul Kalanithi 's "when breath becomes air" a memoir about a surgeon's life and illness battling his metastatic lung cancer; I'll be giving a review about it next time; I felt the need to read more about "Death" a process we all experience as humans and especially as caregivers.

I picked Atul Gawande's being mortal ,, the reviews were favorable and the author's background (A surgeon and professor at Harvard ) made me curious about it.

It explores the modern experience of mortality, how people experience the end of their lives and how it affects those around them?

Atul invites us to examine the approach to terminal illness and old age, he initially talks about the shift that was made historically from death occurring at home to death occurring in the ICU and nursing homes.How the medicalization of the process made it less human.The unnecessary procedures that stand no chance and just give false hope to the patient.

How as doctors we learn to save lives but in front of not fixable problems we have no adequate answer we just keep on troubling and prolonging the suffering of the patient.

He examines the quality of life that is offered to the elderly when medical care is prioritized over their ability to choose, to enjoy life and to experience life wholeheartedly. Their independence is traded for a more stable and safe life.

Giving them purposes makes their final days more meaningful but Is it how the system works these days. The elderly and terminally ill need to have the right to choose and we shouldn't avoid having a real talk with them helping them determine what they want ; Not imposing our beliefs ;

It's just a glimpse of the author's take on the subject and I hope it made you want to read the book or at least think about the subject.

What're your thoughts about this? I'd like to hear about your thoughts about the subject , also if there are some books /movies recommendations on the same subject feel free to share it.

By: Rajae