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
Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.