Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

29 reviews

rachelm_'s review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent

dylpicklez's review

informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

mothstrand's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Excrement

thewileyseven's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

Extraordinary and essential. Spiritually, a beginning to the conversations of how acceptance and commitment theory can be applied to end-of-life care. I am positive I will be referring to this book regularly throughout the rest of my life. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, and Suicide

milliemillz's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, and Cancer

isabellew6's review

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Grief and Dementia

Minor: Suicide

ulviyyask's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, and Cancer

laheath's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Because I encounter this on a daily basis in my work, my professional opinions definitely influence my personal opinions. I see patients and families unprepared and struggling with end of life decisions, afraid they're going to make the wrong decisions, unsure what they're loved ones would have wanted because they never had those difficult conversations, or in complete denial and somehow convinced that their loved one can live forever with enough medical intervention which ultimately only causes more suffering.

This is a must-read for anyone facing a terminal diagnosis or planning for elder care. The author does not give specific instructions for any of this but stresses the importance of determining an individual's goals across the continuum of care. This helps to ensure personalized care and to prepare family members for what may be to come, allowing them time to accept the patient's wishes. Giving the patient some control and dignity during this final stage of life often goes hand in hand with their quality of life. The author uses examples from his own family and patients, as well as research articles, to demonstrate the profound effects of patient-centered care, including long-term care, assisted living, oncology, hospice and palliative care. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Terminal illness

brooklynchaise's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Very informative and perspective changing. It challenged me to think about mortality and the things that make life worth living, especially at the end. I will definitely recommend this book to others and reflect on its contents as I and my family grow older 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, and Vomit

maethereader's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is a very important book. It was inspiring, hopeful, sad, challenging. I learned so much about aging and terminal illness, nursing homes and alternatives, healthcare, hospice, and dying. That might sound grim, but so much of it was so beautiful and inspiring. It was so enlightening. I feel so much better prepared to go through the process of accompanying a loved one who is dying and to die myself. I also feel really interested in learning more about options for aging people and hospice in my community. And I feel better prepared to advocate for myself and loved ones in medical situations, this was a huge insight into what is happening when healthcare workers aren't giving you straight answers (and I think this carries over into veterinary medicine as well - had similar experiences with two pets who ended up passing away, and the days and weeks of working with the vet hospitals did not have to be that stressful and confusing).

I really think this should be required reading for everyone with a body who will one day have to face their mortality and that of their loved ones.

I listened to the audiobook for the last 1/3 of it, and I thought the narrator did a good job.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Death

Moderate: Grief