Dr. Gawande’s “Being Mortal” may, at the surface, look like a doctor’s account of issues with the country’s end of life care system while citing examples, research and case studies, but it turns out the topic inherently goes deeper and questions our meaning of life. As he discusses in his book and in the talks he gives, Gawande notes that these deeper conversations about life and our desires from it is hard to avoid in this conversation about taking proper care of our elderly. Logically, in order to take care of someone (especially at the end of life), it seems proper that you and they know what’s worth fighting for, what makes them the most content, what desires do they have, and what’s practical.
As you read the book, you put yourself into the case studies Gawande writes about. You question what actions you would or wouldn’t have taken as doctor or patient or family member. And you end up questioning, “What makes life worth living? What will I want most at the end of my life? How do I keep life worth living even at an old age?” As a 21 year old I don’t think I could say that I know the answers to these questions. Or at least if I do, I’m sure my answers would change one year from now or even a month. I haven’t found my life partner, I’ve not married yet, or found a career, or even bought my own house. As far as I’m concerned, I still feel like an inexperienced kid. And I don’t think I’m alone. Knowing what’s worth living for is tough. I can’t imagine I’d know until I was at a point close to losing it. It makes the discussion about how we handle end of life care difficult but necessary. Just as much as we’d like to propose our meaning for life, we also need to be listening to others.
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/how-to-keep-life-worth-living-in-old-age-book-club-day-4.html/
As you read the book, you put yourself into the case studies Gawande writes about. You question what actions you would or wouldn’t have taken as doctor or patient or family member. And you end up questioning, “What makes life worth living? What will I want most at the end of my life? How do I keep life worth living even at an old age?” As a 21 year old I don’t think I could say that I know the answers to these questions. Or at least if I do, I’m sure my answers would change one year from now or even a month. I haven’t found my life partner, I’ve not married yet, or found a career, or even bought my own house. As far as I’m concerned, I still feel like an inexperienced kid. And I don’t think I’m alone. Knowing what’s worth living for is tough. I can’t imagine I’d know until I was at a point close to losing it. It makes the discussion about how we handle end of life care difficult but necessary. Just as much as we’d like to propose our meaning for life, we also need to be listening to others.
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/how-to-keep-life-worth-living-in-old-age-book-club-day-4.html/