Being Mortal Medicine And What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

In Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, he explores the idea of what it means to be mortal and how medicine can help us through the end of life. He discusses how we often avoid talking about death and our own mortality, which can lead to making decisions about our health care that are not in line with our true wishes. He also talks about how the medical system is geared more towards prolonging life than helping us live it well.

Ultimately, Gawande argues that we need to have open conversations about death and dying so that we can make informed choices about our care.

Atul Gawande, a surgeon and public health researcher, has written a book about end-of-life care entitled Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. In it, he discusses the modern day approach to death and dying, which often includes prolonging life at all costs regardless of quality of life. He argues that this is not always in the best interest of the patient and that sometimes it is better to let nature take its course.

Gawande offers suggestions for how we can improve the way we deal with death and dying so that everyone involved can have a better experience.

Credit: www.nytimes.com

What is the Message of Being Mortal?

The message of being mortal is that death is a natural part of life and should not be feared. Death is something that happens to everyone, and it is a process that cannot be stopped. Learning to accept death can help us live our lives more fully and appreciate the time we have.

What is the Biggest Message Take Home Point That You Gained from Reading the Being Mortal Book?

The biggest message I took away from Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal, is that the way we die is just as important as the way we live. Too often, our culture values youth and longevity above all else, resulting in a fear of death that leads us to prolong life at any cost. This can be detrimental to both the quality and quantity of our lives.

Instead of living in denial of our mortality, we should embrace it and use it to inform our decisions about how we want to spend our time.

Why is Being Mortal Important?

There are a few reasons why being mortal is important. First, it gives us a sense of urgency. If we know we only have a limited time on this earth, we are more likely to make the most of it.

We are also more likely to appreciate the little things in life, since we know they won’t last forever. Second, being mortal reminds us that we are not invincible. We have to be careful with our choices and our actions because they can have real consequences.

This can lead to us living more cautiously and thoughtfully. Lastly, mortality can help us define what is truly important in life. When we know our time is limited, we tend to focus on things that really matter to us and let go of the rest.

This can lead to a richer and more fulfilling life.

What is the Thesis of Atul Gawande Book Better?

Atul Gawande is a surgeon and public health researcher who has written extensively on the subject of improving quality in healthcare. In his book Better, he argues that the key to providing better care is not simply doing more or spending more money, but finding ways to systematically improve the quality of care that we provide. He offers a number of specific suggestions for how this can be done, including developing better methods for measuring quality, establishing clear standards for what constitutes good care, and investing in research to identify best practices.

What Does Atul Gawande Write About?

Atul Gawande is a surgeon and writer who has spent his career thinking about how to improve the quality of medical care. In his 2009 book, “The Checklist Manifesto,” he argued that simple checklists could help surgeons avoid errors and save lives. In 2014, he wrote “Being Mortal,” in which he explored the challenges of providing good end-of-life care.

And in 2017, he released “The Headstrong Patient,” a collection of essays about patients who take an active role in their own health care.

What Do You Think the Author Means When He Says That We’Ve Medicalized Mortality?

The author is referring to the way our society has come to view death as a medical problem that can be fixed with the right treatment. We’ve become so focused on prolonging life that we’ve lost sight of the fact that death is a natural part of life. Our obsession with youth and health has led us to medicalize things like wrinkles and gray hair, when they’re simply signs of aging.

We’ve even created an entire industry devoted to anti-aging products and procedures. While there’s nothing wrong with trying to stay healthy and look our best, we need to remember that death is inevitable and ultimately, out of our control. By medicalizing mortality, we’re only delaying the inevitable and putting unnecessary stress on ourselves in the process.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End | Atul Gawande | Talks at Google

Being Mortal Chapter Summaries

Atul Gawande, a surgeon and writer, tackles the tough subject of aging and death in his book, Being Mortal. He discusses how our society has become fixated on prolonging life at all costs, even when quality of life is poor. He also addresses the importance of having frank conversations with loved ones about end-of-life wishes.

The following are summaries of each chapter in Being Mortal. In Chapter One, Gawande opens with the story of a man named Edward who is dying of cancer. Edward doesn’t want to talk about his prognosis or make any decisions about his care, despite the urging of his daughter and wife.

Gawande argues that our avoidance of discussions about death stems from our fear that doing so will hasten its arrival. He goes on to say that this attitude is relatively new; throughout most of history, people have been more accepting of their mortality. Chapter Two looks at how modern medicine has changed the way we die.

In previous centuries, death was typically sudden and caused by infectious diseases like smallpox or cholera. Nowadays, people generally die slowly from chronic illnesses like heart disease or cancer. This shift has changed the role of doctors from simply caring for the sick to also being tasked with prolonging life as much as possible—even if patients are suffering immensely.

Gawande asks whether this focus on longevity is always in patients’ best interests, especially given the fact that many elderly people spend their last years in decline, rather than enjoying good health up until the end. To answer this question, he turns to Drs.-Drs..

William Kissane and Scott Murray, two experts on palliative care (which focuses on relieving symptoms rather than curing a disease). They argue that quality of life—not quantity—should be the primary goal for terminally ill patients near the end of their lives..

In Chapter Three, Gawande tells the story of his own father’s decline and eventual death from pancreatic cancer. His father was initially treated with aggressive chemotherapy but stopped responding to treatment after a few months.. At that point, Gawande and his family had to decide whether to continue pursuing curative treatment options or switch to palliative care.. After much deliberation , they decided on palliative care , which allowed his father to enjoy some time without pain before he died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones..

Conclusion

Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses the issues of aging and dying in his book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. He discusses how the medical system in the United States is geared towards prolonging life rather than providing comfort at the end of life. He argues that doctors need to have more frank conversations with their patients about what to expect as they age and approach death.

only then can patients make informed choices about their care. Gawande begins by recounting a conversation he had with a patient named Nancy, who was facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. Nancy made it clear that she did not want to extend her life through aggressive treatment; she just wanted to be comfortable.

However, her doctor was reluctant to have this conversation with her, feeling that it would be too depressing. As a result, Nancy ended up receiving treatments that she didn’t want and which provided little benefit. Gawande goes on to discuss how most people approaching death are not able to make decisions about their care without guidance from their doctor.

He argues that it is incumbent upon physicians to have these difficult conversations with their patients so that they can make informed choices about their treatment. Only then can patients die with dignity, on their own terms.