---
product_id: 70141478
title: "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End"
price: "A$77"
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---

# Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

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## Description

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End [Gawande, Atul] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

Review: A Must Read book for Boomers and their loved ones.. - The importance of this book is profound. He is saying what many have said before but he has a larger audience and a prestigious career. It is not unlike what a Harvard spokesperson, Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn has done for mindfulness meditation and the mind/body connection. The book explains the research studies in clear language, easily understood by the general public. This is not easy to do in science writing. he is a good storyteller and unlike some readers, I did not find the stories repetitive. The most critical review talks about what do we do instead of nursing homes, especially with elders who have no one who who wants to make the sacrifices of being the caregiver. It will be up to us boomers to start developing more Sanford apartments, Villages and Green homes in our own areas so that we can have more choices. If we leave it up to the investors and the medical system we will get more of the same, high cost assisted living for the affluent that emphasizes never getting sued over quality of life for the elder. Nursing homes emphasize routines that lead to "no falling" because that is a factor emphasized and financially rewarded by the institutional system. We will have to take charge of developing the alternatives.I have watched both my parents die in nursing homes and had to advocate for my parents against the "rules." In Georgia, I had to contact the ombudsperson assigned to my mother's nursing home so that her private caregivers would be allowed to move her to her bedside commode when she needed it, not when the staff had time. These are the unfriendly traditions that you do not even know you can do something about until you research it. I particularly think that the value of this book could be that it encourages families to have the hard conversations. Every family facing the physical decline of a loved one who will soon no longer be independent should read the book together and follow the guide for the conversations about "what matters most to you and what are you willing to trade off to get that? .. I liked his writing style, his humility about the confused role medicine plays, his alarm about the decline in the field of geriatric medicine and his practical approach and attempts to do better with patients. An honest and refreshing appraisal of the systems that will take over for us if we do not make a different plan.
Review: Read this - If you are the child of an aging parent, read this. If you are a person of a “certain age”, read this. If you are in the medical field, read this. If you hate hospitals, read this. If you want a thought provoking, sobering read - one that is wise and helps you reframe a lot of hard things in life, read this. If you are reading this, read this.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #138,047 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Health Policy (Books) #1 in Hospice Care #2 in Death |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (48,819) |
| Dimensions  | 5.51 x 0.94 x 8.27 inches |
| Edition  | 13th |
| ISBN-10  | 1250081246 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1250081247 |
| Item Weight  | 9.2 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 304 pages |
| Publication date  | July 8, 2015 |
| Publisher  | Picador |

## Images

![Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31HBPCgKA3L.jpg)
![Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41thjRxxz2L.jpg)
![Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51f2Z3mhAjL.jpg)
![Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718pVHqUk5L.jpg)
![Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81wT5q3BZaL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must Read book for Boomers and their loved ones..
*by D***M on May 24, 2015*

The importance of this book is profound. He is saying what many have said before but he has a larger audience and a prestigious career. It is not unlike what a Harvard spokesperson, Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn has done for mindfulness meditation and the mind/body connection. The book explains the research studies in clear language, easily understood by the general public. This is not easy to do in science writing. he is a good storyteller and unlike some readers, I did not find the stories repetitive. The most critical review talks about what do we do instead of nursing homes, especially with elders who have no one who who wants to make the sacrifices of being the caregiver. It will be up to us boomers to start developing more Sanford apartments, Villages and Green homes in our own areas so that we can have more choices. If we leave it up to the investors and the medical system we will get more of the same, high cost assisted living for the affluent that emphasizes never getting sued over quality of life for the elder. Nursing homes emphasize routines that lead to "no falling" because that is a factor emphasized and financially rewarded by the institutional system. We will have to take charge of developing the alternatives.I have watched both my parents die in nursing homes and had to advocate for my parents against the "rules." In Georgia, I had to contact the ombudsperson assigned to my mother's nursing home so that her private caregivers would be allowed to move her to her bedside commode when she needed it, not when the staff had time. These are the unfriendly traditions that you do not even know you can do something about until you research it. I particularly think that the value of this book could be that it encourages families to have the hard conversations. Every family facing the physical decline of a loved one who will soon no longer be independent should read the book together and follow the guide for the conversations about "what matters most to you and what are you willing to trade off to get that? .. I liked his writing style, his humility about the confused role medicine plays, his alarm about the decline in the field of geriatric medicine and his practical approach and attempts to do better with patients. An honest and refreshing appraisal of the systems that will take over for us if we do not make a different plan.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read this
*by A***R on January 25, 2026*

If you are the child of an aging parent, read this. If you are a person of a “certain age”, read this. If you are in the medical field, read this. If you hate hospitals, read this. If you want a thought provoking, sobering read - one that is wise and helps you reframe a lot of hard things in life, read this. If you are reading this, read this.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must Read
*by D***N on December 25, 2014*

This is probably the most important book on mortality I've ever read. It is packed full of information and written in easily comprehendible language, in fact, very personal language. There is so much information here I had a hard time reviewing as I want to share it all! Promise, I won't, but will try to stay with just a few important highlights. First, this book looks at nursing homes and the rise and fall of assisted living. You may think, what? We have assisted living. But, for a short time after people no longer simply died at home, assisted living, through the hard fought battles of one woman in particular was available to all patients. Now the primary goal of safety has once again given us nursing homes. Assisted living is mostly for those with the money to afford it. This need for safety has left many to languish at places no different than former asylums. This so called "life" is devoid of any purpose to live, and actually increases death rates. This book then goes into the medical profession. The focus here is on repair, how to fix, what medications will work, when is surgery necessary. The only problem is that the medical profession has no idea how to talk to people, and is even discouraged from doing so. Most doctors have not had a single course in geriatrics. What to do with an old person? Amazing that we have no sense of our own mortality. Now 25% of Medicare spending is for 5% in their final year of life, with very little benefit. A great quote was "We imagine that we can wait until doctors tell us there is nothing more they can do, but rarely is there nothing more that doctors can do." So this instance of survival at all costs has left many to die in a hospital with tubes everywhere, fading in and out of awareness. This of course leaves no chance for good-byes, even "I'm sorry" or "I love you." What it really comes down to is a few important questions. I loved the ones provided in this book. "The biggest questions to ask are, what are your biggest fears or concerns? What goals are most important to you and what trade-offs are you willing to make, or not make?" Another topic was hospice. I assumed hospice is only for the final end of life, but it is not. Hospice is available at any time, and the focus is on a person's wants and needs. Many get better after a stay, and leave, some even return to work! Incredible book. Atul Gawande is a physician who I believe has written a most timely and important book. He provides an inside look at medicine, a historical perspective on dying, the most recent surveys on cost and care options and so much more. He comes from his own experiences and clearly his research has changed his own outlook on mortality. A must read. Highly recommended!

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*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-02-24*