The Journey's End

Michael  D Connelly

doi:10.5771/9781538175491

The Journey's End

An Investigation of Death and Dying In Modern America

Published 2023

No access

doi.org/10.5771/9781538175491
ISBN print: 978-1-5381-7548-4
ISBN online: 978-1-5381-7549-1
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

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Zusammenfassung

In the tradition of Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal, this compassionate work helps individuals develop a more accepting view of dying while teaching them what to expect and how to navigate the healthcare system at the end of life.

In elderhood, the health care system has a narrow view of how to provide care. It focuses on extending a patient's life at all costs, with an over-reliance on machines and procedures, instead of caring holistically for the person. Accordingly, many of us will likely spend our final weeks in long-term care facilities or an ICU.

Dying at home, peacefully, and surrounded by family is almost impossible in our world--and our fear of death is a major contributor to this impossibility. Fittingly, the central idea of this book is that in old age, or when facing a terminal diagnosis, it is more important to understand your life rather than to extend it. While this may seem simple, its implications are profound.

A natural death means accepting that, at some point, we are old enough or sick enough to die. In our cynical and overly clinical age, it is difficult to reflect on the meaning of one's life, but that kind of honest introspection is exactly what we need. Accordingly, The Journey’s End seeks to help people manage their healthcare, their expectations, and their decisions in the final phase of life.

Schlagworte

Aging palliative care elderly nursing home healthcare system seniors patients healthcare reform caregiver caregiving caretaker eldercare advanced directives EOL EOL care long term care patient stories medical training practices terminal illness assisted living health advocacy home health hospice care hospital systems management death and life death literacy

Keywords

hospital physicians illness death hospice healthcare

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
i–xvi Preface i–xvi
- CONTENTS
- FOREWORD
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- INTRODUCTION
1–10 1. PREPARING FOR THE LAST PHASE OF LIFE 1–10
11–24 2. AGONY AS THE DEFAULT OPTION 11–24
25–34 3. THE FICTION OF LIVING FOREVER 25–34
35–46 4. THE ART AND SCIENCEOF MEDICINE 35–46
47–58 5. THE ETHICS AND ECONOMICS OF END-OF-LIFE CARE 47–58
59–70 6. THE PHYSICIAN’S BURDEN 59–70
71–82 7. PATIENT AUTONOMY: A Double-Edged Sword 71–82
83–92 8. WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG, BAD GR? 83–92
93–100 9. DISAPPEARING 93–100
101–112 10. OPTIONS FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE 101–112
113–126 11. PREPARING PAPER WORK FOR ELDERHOOD 113–126
127–142 12. UNDERSTANDING THE FFS PHYSICIAN PAYMENT SYSTEM 127–142
143–156 13. CHANGING THE PRIMARY CARE PAYMENT MODEL 143–156
157–166 14. MAKING COMFORT CARE MORE ACCESSIBLE 157–166
167–174 15. NEW FUNDING OPTIONS FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE 167–174
175–184 16. REINSTITUTING THE ROLE OF CARE COORDINATION AND CREATING A HOME 175–184
185–190 17. ACCEPTING LIFE’S LIMITS 185–190
191–200 18. THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCEPTING TRADE-OFFS 191–200
201–208 19. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS 201–208
209–214 APPENDIX: Recommendations for ImprovingEnd-of-Life Care 209–214
215–228 NOTES 215–228
229–236 BIBLIOGRAPHY 229–236
237–250 INDEX 237–250
251–251 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 251–251

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