Book Notes | ‘Being Mortal’
The Fourth Friday Book Club’s selection of Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, inspired a spirited and sometimes somber discussion about end-of-life health challenges.
One surprising statistic featured in Being Mortal, first published in 2014, is that “only 3 percent of how long you’ll live … is explained by your parents’ longevity, [whereas] up to 90 percent of how tall you are is explained by your parents’ height.”
Thus, somewhat reassuringly, longevity is not solely a function of genetics, so our choices can make a difference.
Several book club participants shared poignant anecdotes about an older loved one’s medical care (or, in some cases, the lack thereof). Much empathy was expressed not only toward patients and family members, who don’t typically have the clinical expertise to know what outcomes are realistic, but also toward busy, stretched-thin doctors unfamiliar with every frail individual’s capabilities and wishes. Participants agreed on the importance of clear, in-depth communication concerning whatever medical or surgical treatment, if any, might be appropriate to ensure the most meaningful life possible, even—perhaps especially—for those nearing death.
—Mary E. Knatterud, Fourth Friday Book Club member
Fourth Friday Book Club meeting December 2
Fri, Dec 2 2022, 2pm
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande is the selection for the next meeting of UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club, which will be held via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2, to avoid the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the end of November. Newcomers are welcome.
Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is a professor in the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Policy and Management.
Modern medicine has transformed the risks of birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should do.
In numerous examples of research and stories of his patients and his own family, Being Mortal catalogues the issues of aging and death, what Gawande cites as “… an era in which the relationship between patient and doctor is increasingly miscast in retail terms.”
In the words of the late Oliver Sacks, “Being Mortal is not only wise and deeply moving, it is an essential and insightful book for our times, as one would expect from Atul Gawande, one of our finest physician writers.”
Contact Margaret Catambay at [email protected] or Dorothy Marden at [email protected] for information about how to join the meeting on Friday, December 2.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.