America is a country founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A country where people have the right to live a life in which someone is free to make one 's own decisions to bring about things that make them happy. However, when it comes to decision making during end of life, medical professionals concentrate on repair of the body, not sustenance of the soul. Medical professionals choose to prolong life rather than let life’s natural courses run. America may be a country founded on those three unalienable rights, but it is a country whose health care system is impeding quality of life at end of life. America is allowing its own society to be controlled by medicine and technology, alternative home care, and strangers, therefore
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There are various ‘homes’ away from home to decide between, some of which are nursing homes, assisted living, granny pods, and hospice. Each of these has a tremendous impact on people towards the end of life. Alternative home care is not a way to live; “They were never created to help people facing dependency in old age. They were created to clear out hospital beds--which is why they were called “nursing” homes” (Gawande 71). They weren’t supposed to provide comfort or even make you jubilant; they were there to aid in assistance of everyday activities and no one ever said they had to go about it in a kind manner. Even the medical professionals didn’t even recognize their ignorance in this regard. They might have called the service they provided assisted living, but no one seemed to think it was their job to assist people with living--to figure out how to sustain the connections and joys that most mattered to them. Their attitude seemed to result from incomprehension rather than cruelty, but what’s the difference in the end?” (Gawande 104-105). While assisted living and nursing homes don’t have the highest satisfaction rates there are other means of alternative home care, one of which is granny pods. Granny pods are a great way for people at the end of life to remain independent and close to the ones they love. The only …show more content…
Firstly, the education most doctors receive is for their specialty; which is helpful, but when it comes down to talking to a patient who is at their end of life most medical professionals don’t know what to say. This is partly due to having such a narrow-minded education, where as if they were in geriatrics originally most would understand the concept of life and death much better. The elderly population is growing rapidly,” The number of certified geriatricians the medical profession has put in practice has actually fallen in the United States by 25 percent between 1996 and 2010...Partly, this has to do with money--incomes in geriatrics and adult primary care are among the lowest in medicine. And partly, whether we admit it or not, a lot of doctors don’t like taking care of the elderly” (Gawande 36). In most people’s eyes, every medical professional should be licensed in geriatrics. A medical professional should also have a well-rounded education and know how to deal with death as well as they do life. Secondly, medical professionals lack a bond with their patients. There is an absence of a connection between a doctor and a patient because they could never get used to how we treat our old and frail--leaving them to a life alone or isolating them in a series of anonymous facilities, their
There are various ‘homes’ away from home to decide between, some of which are nursing homes, assisted living, granny pods, and hospice. Each of these has a tremendous impact on people towards the end of life. Alternative home care is not a way to live; “They were never created to help people facing dependency in old age. They were created to clear out hospital beds--which is why they were called “nursing” homes” (Gawande 71). They weren’t supposed to provide comfort or even make you jubilant; they were there to aid in assistance of everyday activities and no one ever said they had to go about it in a kind manner. Even the medical professionals didn’t even recognize their ignorance in this regard. They might have called the service they provided assisted living, but no one seemed to think it was their job to assist people with living--to figure out how to sustain the connections and joys that most mattered to them. Their attitude seemed to result from incomprehension rather than cruelty, but what’s the difference in the end?” (Gawande 104-105). While assisted living and nursing homes don’t have the highest satisfaction rates there are other means of alternative home care, one of which is granny pods. Granny pods are a great way for people at the end of life to remain independent and close to the ones they love. The only …show more content…
Firstly, the education most doctors receive is for their specialty; which is helpful, but when it comes down to talking to a patient who is at their end of life most medical professionals don’t know what to say. This is partly due to having such a narrow-minded education, where as if they were in geriatrics originally most would understand the concept of life and death much better. The elderly population is growing rapidly,” The number of certified geriatricians the medical profession has put in practice has actually fallen in the United States by 25 percent between 1996 and 2010...Partly, this has to do with money--incomes in geriatrics and adult primary care are among the lowest in medicine. And partly, whether we admit it or not, a lot of doctors don’t like taking care of the elderly” (Gawande 36). In most people’s eyes, every medical professional should be licensed in geriatrics. A medical professional should also have a well-rounded education and know how to deal with death as well as they do life. Secondly, medical professionals lack a bond with their patients. There is an absence of a connection between a doctor and a patient because they could never get used to how we treat our old and frail--leaving them to a life alone or isolating them in a series of anonymous facilities, their