Being Mortal

 Atul Gawande is the author of Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End. The author is a physician, a surgeon, and he writes about modern medicine sometimes causing more suffering by offering and suggesting treatment that offers little hope of extending life. He writes about how in the 1940's most people died in their homes. Now, most people die in the hospital. End of life discussions are hard but he offers four questions that should be asked of our loved ones who are facing death. What are you most afraid of? What is important to you now? How much are you willing to loose to gain more time to live? What makes a good day for you?  If those four questions can be answered, end of life decisions can be easier for family members. Most doctors are not trained to help people make these decisions. But when these conversations take place and the patients have some control over the end of their lives and their families feel more at peace. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not pay doctors for these conversations. Insurance will pay for a 3rd round of chemotherapy though and ordering the treatment takes a lot less time than end of life discussions. Some doctors are committed to extending life even if that means more suffering for the patient. Recognizing the best course of action when the end is near is difficult and this book explains why it is difficult and what you can do to make it easier.