Full Description
In the tradition of Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, this compassionate work helps individuals develop a more accepting view of dying while teaching them what to expect and how to navigate the healthcare system at the end of life.
In elderhood, the health care system has a narrow view of how to provide care. It focuses on extending a patient's life at all costs, with an over-reliance on machines and procedures, instead of caring holistically for the person. Accordingly, many of us will likely spend our final weeks in long-term care facilities or an ICU.
Dying at home, peacefully, and surrounded by family is almost impossible in our world--and our fear of death is a major contributor to this impossibility. Fittingly, the central idea of this book is that in old age, or when facing a terminal diagnosis, it is more important to understand your life rather than to extend it. While this may seem simple, its implications are profound.
A natural death means accepting that, at some point, we are old enough or sick enough to die. In our cynical and overly clinical age, it is difficult to reflect on the meaning of one's life, but that kind of honest introspection is exactly what we need. Accordingly, The Journey's End seeks to help people manage their healthcare, their expectations, and their decisions in the final phase of life.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments:
Forward By Professor David B. Nash, MD, MBA
Introduction:
Chapter 1: Preparing for the Last Phase of Life
Chapter 2: Agony: the Default Option
Chapter 3: The Fiction of Living Forever
Chapter 4: The Art and Science of Medicine
Chapter 5: The Economics and Ethics of Dying
Chapter 6: The Physicians' Burden
Chapter 7: Patient Autonomy - A Double-Edged Sword
Chapter 8: Who's Afraid of the Big GR?
Chapter 9: Disappearing
Chapter 10: Options for End-of-Life Care
Chapter 11: Preparing the Paperwork for Elderhood
Chapter 12: Understanding the FFS Payment System
Chapter 13: Fixing Primary Care Physicians Payments
Chapter 14: Making Comfort Care More Accessible
Chapter 15: Funding Options for End-of-Life Care
Chapter 16: Reinstituting the Role of Care Coordination
And Creating A Home for End-of-Life Conversations
Chapter 17: Accepting Life's Limits
Chapter 18: The Importance of Trade-Offs.
Chapter 19: Concluding Observations
Appendix: Summary Recommendations
