The Death Of Death

Craig Bowron broaches the subject matter sensitively as much as possible striking a balance between the interests of individuals opposing his notions while at the same time emboldening the resolve of the many that support his idea. He, however, uses raw statements that are likely to irk the audience in some instances. Statements such as “once you have shoved some guy’s guts back into his stomach” can be rather upsetting to conservative audience that would rather be spared such graphic details. The next statement “everyone wants to grow old and die... but the truth is that most of us will die in pieces” also may rub readers in the wrong way. The author fails to capture the sensitivity of death as perceived by a number of people or cultures. The author acknowledges opposing argument by citing that the desire to have loved ones around would go to great lengths to use medication and technology. This goes to show that the writer understands that his opinion need not be paramount on the audience’s decisions and understanding of the article subject matter.

Death is a difficult topic for most people to discuss. Even those in the medical profession, such as doctors and surgeons, have a tough time discussing the prospect of death with patients. In Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal, Gawande delves into what really matters as life comes to an end, new ways of helping the elderly enjoy their waning days, and the role of doctors and medicine in curing diseases and dealing with patients. Sheri Fink, a reporter for the New York Times, reviewed this book on November 6, 2014 for The New York Times Sunday Book Review in “Atul Gawande’s ‘Being Mortal’”. She thinks Being Mortal is a “valuable contribution to the growing literature on aging, death, and dying”, and does a good job of introducing the topic of

This research explores the literature across cultures on death and dying in order to highlight the impact of culture on reactions to death and the dying process. A theoretical framework is established, using Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s five stages of dying, followed by a succinct discussion of the reactions and attitudes toward death and the dying process of four cultures (Buddhist, Hindu, Native American and American). By illustrating the different reactions and attitudes toward death of these cultures, it is revealed that through increased cultural understanding health care workers can provide more personalized care to the dying.

People die everyday all over the world. In United States, people use hundreds of different words to describe death. Generally, people that grow up in the United States tend to view death as a taboo subject and are seen as a topic that should be kept behind closed doors and contracted with an individual or family. A belief system that so many individuals hold to be true has been shaped over the past century. In this culture, death has become something that is enormously feared and as a result, some people stop living their lives to his or her highest potential because of their fear of dying. The effect that death has pertains to individuals of all ages, gender and ethnicities. But unfortunately, how death is viewed it has become more and

The next few themes of this article include the discussion of pain, loss of pleasure in life, and the right time to die. The carers felt responsible to prevent their loved ones from experiencing pain and suffering all of their later years of life. They stated that caring for someone they loved with dementia that was extremely unhappy with their quality of life brought up ideas of assisted suicide. They exclaimed that seeing their patient disintegrate in quality of life and in overall health that it was difficult to not consider assisted suicide. Several participants came to a conclusion that their relative was strictly waiting to die because they had suffered enough which made them want to end the pain for them.

As mentioned in a Frontline interview with Gawande about Being Mortal, life’s two ‘unfixables’ are aging ang dying ("Dr. Atul Gawande On Aging, Dying And "Being Mortal"). Despite this well-known fact, most physicians and patients alike are overwhelmed by the concept of death. Moreover, in times of medical crisis, terminally ill patients allow themselves to be given “the medical equivalent of lottery tickets” in the hopes of making a miraculous recovery (Gawande 171). The allowance of end-of-life decisions to be controlled by the concepts of medicine or technology is a dangerous path which shows a lack in pragmatism regarding death (Sinclair). Although the overall avoidance of the

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross provides the first glimpse at the true feelings and experiences of people in the process of dying. Written in 1969, Kubler-Ross uses material gathered from her many seminars and interviews with terminally ill hospital patients and in a groundbreaking gesture, suggests to the reader that instead of ignoring, avoiding or isolating the dying patient, it is important to understand the stages of grief and to allow the patient to talk openly and honestly about his situation. Kubler-Ross describes the increase in modern humanity 's fear of death with the rise of technology and medical science. Although many individuals are able to prolong their lives as never before, it has contributed to multiple emotional problems and inability to cope with the prospect of death. Individuals associate death with a bad act, or "malicious intervention" from someone else, or, at least a negative event.

Death is everywhere and cannot be stopped. Every day, millions of people around the world die, whether it is from sickness, old age, suicide or murder. “The Fear of Dying” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and “The Right to Die” by Norman Cousins, are two articles that discuss death, with respect to embracing it. Both articles support the idea of free will, how society views and reacts to death, and the acceptance of death.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End is a story that depicts the progression of the care of the sick and elderly as they reach the final years of their life. Gawande tells us various stories that clearly illustrate the differences between how dying was handled as far back as the nineteenth century to how it is handled currently. Treatment even differs between countries, as is explained when Gawande tells of his own family in India. For the most part, in the past people were not expected to survive far into old age. Therefore, care for the elderly used to be allowing them to live in a multigenerational home with their children and grandchildren to be the caretakers. Now, since the life expectancy is not as low as it was then, the children are not staying with their parents for longer than necessary, because both the parent and the child desire independence.

The word euthanasia comes from the Greek words “eu” which means well and “thanatos” which is derived from death. Euthanasia literally means a “good death” (Davis F.A., 2013, p. 858-859). A good death is different to each person but usually constitutes having friends and family close, dying somewhere familiar, and dying in a comfortable manner with no pain. Voluntary stopping of eating and drinking is beneficial to the terminally ill patient in this way because it helps the family and the patient experience personal closure and it assists with a peaceful end to life. People also view it as an ethically appropriate decision (less controversial) to forgo an unwanted life prolonging measure than active euthanasia. The terminally ill using VSED are in control of their decision until the very end. They can choose at any time to opt out and begin eating/ drinking again. Patient’s die in a very dignified manner of their own accord instead of when their disease tells they should “go” which parallels their want for autonomy in making that choice. VSED is a more humane and dignified way to abide by the wishes of patients who wish to hasten their own death.

In Being Mortal, Atul Gawande brings to revelation something we as humans know that will happen but in reality never really want to face: we are mortal and death will not escape us. Throughout the book, Gawande navigates the reader through a series of obstacles and choices faced to make when the ill and old have hit the stage of life when death is near. The New York Times reviewer Sheri Fink writes, “Being Mortal is a valuable contribution to the growing literature on aging, death and dying.” This book definitely helps readers come to terms with the reality of dying. Gawande finds balance between understanding what the elderly go through in the ending stages of their lives and having them face the reality of death, as well as how to spend the last days of life with dignity and on one’s own terms.

The introduction provided a general synopsis of what would be discussed in the book, the process of aging and dying in today’s current society, and how that process compares to other cultures and generations. The author, Atul Gawande, also recounted a few memories of his experiences in college and as a new doctor, which created a foundation for which his topic was both presented and elaborated on. Gawande suggests that doctors are fixated on providing constant treatments and surgeries for the terminally ill, but that they never consider acknowledging the inevitable fate of the patient and help them cope with their situation. As Atul continued, he explained how, as a doctor, the greatest satisfaction received

Death and dying has changed drastically in the past hundred years. In the past, most deaths occurred without warning mostly due to infectious diseases. Back then, medicine could do little to cure illness or extend life (NCBI, 1997). Most deaths occurred in the home surrounded by family. Today, death usually happens to older people following a long-term illness. The dying patient is usually in a hospital or heath care institution of some kind (Carr, 2003). The dying process is now more controlled by the ill patient and their family (Carr, 2003). “The Patient Self Determination Act, passed by Congress in 1990, requires all government-funded health providers to give patients the opportunity to formally articulate their end of life treatment

Death is an inevitable and unfortunate part of life that is often met with fear and despair. Some are afraid of the anticipated pain and the uncertainty of the afterlife, while others can accept their fate and see death as part of a cycle in nature. Most of us would prefer to die in the comfort of our homes with loved ones and under their own terms, however approximately 50% of Americans die in hospitals. And although our lifespans continue to climb due to medication and technology, it is those advancements that keep people from leaving this world as they see fit. No matter how a person dies, there is a sense of loss and grief for those who were surrounded or influenced by this person. It is often very hard to cope

The moment her heart stops beating is the same moment he appears and time freezes. Two cars are crunched side by side in a ravine, windows shattered with floating glass, a girl’s face stretched out in a scream. He observes the wreckage before his eyes land on her corpse. The girl didn’t die instantly, unlike the mother in the other car. The girl’s last moments were instead filled with agony as her life slipped around the branch that had broke through the side window and pierced her windpipe. He regards her lifeless body before walking over to her side of the car. When he reaches for her face, his hand phases through the broken glass. He brushes his hand along her dead eyes before slowly pulling back. As he does this, her wispy soul is coaxed out of its bodily confines to float next to him. Her spirit gradually materializes to match her appearance before the accident. There she stands, staring blindly at the tragedy before her.