33 pages • 1 hour read
Atul GawandeBeing Mortal: Illness, Medicine and what Matters in the End
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Food
Appetite is a main concern for the geriatricians in the book. Rather than engaging in invasive surgery, they mostly advocate for a calorie-appropriate diet for their patients. Food is also an issue for those in nursing-home care. Gawande lists rigid diet control as one of the factors that nursing home residents become despondent over, as not being able to make food choices for themselvesmakes them feel like they are no longer autonomous individuals.
Pets
Bill Thomas insists that pets—dogs, cats and birds—belong in assisted-living communities such as his Eden Alternative. Though they create mess and may not be strictly hygienic, Thomas asserts that they give residents something to care for, adding a compelling sense of purpose to seniors’ lives. His supposition is supported by the experiences of Lou Sanders, who forms an intense bond with his daughter’s pet dog and initially becomes depressed when he leaves the dog behind and moves into a nursing home. Having pets or plants to care for gives the residents a sense of connection and meaning.
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By Atul Gawande
