Being Mortal
In current discussions on Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal, a controversial issue has been whether the treatment of dying patients is wrong. One viewpoint against Gawande's ideas are that doctors are only responsible for treating a patient and keeping them alive. From this perspective, dealing with a patient's feeling’s as well as coping with death are not as important as finding a way to somehow keep the patient alive for the longest possible time. From a conflicting position, Gawande claims that helping the patient make the most out of their remaining time and helping them cope with the emotional side of death is as important, if not, more important than extending their painful lives. Atul Gawande makes it clear in Being Mortal …show more content…
It is hard for him to write a page without showing his empathy for humans. He regards only what he believes is important to the patients and explains how the modern health care system is failing because it relies on money and technology .Gawande clarifies that the question is “not how can we afford this system’s expense. It is how we can build a health care system that will actually help people achieve what’s most important to them at the end of their lives” (155). Gawande means money is not the issue, the issue is assisting people who are dying by helping fulfill their last wishes and personal matters. The mind and heart have more power than money in this situation.
The saying “money can’t buy happiness” seems to motivate Gawande. He connects to human experiences such as suffering, instead of supporting expensive technological advancements in medical care. Gawande states that the top concerns of dying patients include “Avoid suffering, strengthening relationships with family and friends, being mentally aware, not being a burden on others and achieving a sense that their life is complete” (155). None of these involve a great amount of money or
In current discussions on Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal, a controversial issue has been whether the treatment of dying patients is wrong. One viewpoint against Gawande's ideas are that doctors are only responsible for treating a patient and keeping them alive. From this perspective, dealing with a patient's feeling’s as well as coping with death are not as important as finding a way to somehow keep the patient alive for the longest possible time. From a conflicting position, Gawande claims that helping the patient make the most out of their remaining time and helping them cope with the emotional side of death is as important, if not, more important than extending their painful lives. Atul Gawande makes it clear in Being Mortal …show more content…
It is hard for him to write a page without showing his empathy for humans. He regards only what he believes is important to the patients and explains how the modern health care system is failing because it relies on money and technology .Gawande clarifies that the question is “not how can we afford this system’s expense. It is how we can build a health care system that will actually help people achieve what’s most important to them at the end of their lives” (155). Gawande means money is not the issue, the issue is assisting people who are dying by helping fulfill their last wishes and personal matters. The mind and heart have more power than money in this situation.
The saying “money can’t buy happiness” seems to motivate Gawande. He connects to human experiences such as suffering, instead of supporting expensive technological advancements in medical care. Gawande states that the top concerns of dying patients include “Avoid suffering, strengthening relationships with family and friends, being mentally aware, not being a burden on others and achieving a sense that their life is complete” (155). None of these involve a great amount of money or