Winner of the 2014 Book of the Year Award, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Happens in the End, by Atul Gawande, is extraordinary in its explication of what often happens as the end of one’s life draws near. This is not a book for a casual or entertaining read; rather it is designed to help the reader better understand and appreciate the realities of what can transpire as life enters its final phase. The book is brilliant!
While these realities can be upsetting to ponder, they are also highly informative. Short of dying suddenly from an accident or a health calamity such as a massive stroke or heart attack, most people experience a period of physical decline that can go on for an extended period before death occurs.
Most of the book is about the author’s father and the process of his aging and death just prior to him turning age 100. Despite its upsetting moments, I believe the book can provide great guidance for both elders and the loved ones of elders who are experiencing, witnessing or trying to mindfully navigate this final stage of life.
Rather than review the book in detail, which might cause unnecessary angst for some readers, I simply recommend it for any reader interested in the subject we will all have to confront at some point. It is crucial that people appreciate the various issues at play so that the dying process does not result in the individual suffering needlessly, or that the family survivors become alienated from each other because they did not agree on what should have been done for the patient at this final stage in their life.
Despite the book’s publication date of 10 year ago, the themes remain universal. There have been societal attitudinal changes during this decade, including greater acceptance of the use of medications to end the suffering of the dying. But the book remains a profoundly insightful hallmark statement for those wanting to explore this difficult subject.
Dr. Hugh Winig is a retired psychiatrist, a longtime OLLI @Berkeley member and volunteer, and a regular contributor to the OLLI Blog.