Being Mortal: : Medicine and What Matters in the End
Rabbi Neil Hirsch will be discussing a book of critical importance by Dr. Atul Gawande. In the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit. Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending. He argues that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person’s last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.