33 Meditations on Death: Notes from the Wrong End of Medicine

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But my observation is that iliving to an old age - a slow death - is as bad as the author describes. I discovered this book after a guest speaker on a radio 4 programme mentioned it and thought I’d give it a go. Brilliant - a grimly humourous yet humane account of the realities of growing old in the modern age. This book was recommended and whilst I did find it interesting in parts, generally it's a tad sad and depressing ( as it would be given the subject matter) For me, the book lacked any spiritual depth. How else will my caregivers (when I'm old and gaga) know I want a glass of Aussie Chardonnay at 7pm every evening.

ACT Contact / FAQ About Events / Videos Merch / Subs Sign in/up 33 Meditations on Death : Notes from the Wrong End of Medicine dAVID jARRETT More by this author. This book will be helpful to anyone with ageing parents or people like myself who are old but not yet elderly. I am interested in how modern medicine seems to have lost its way especially with excessive investigation and treatment of the very frail and elderly close to the end of their natural lives. My cynical side thinks it’s because keeping an old patient alive generates way more money for the medical community.It is immensely readable and is both funny and poignant even though it covers very difficult and often avoided subjects; namely the fact that we all die, that old age can be grim and that death is not always the worst outcome. Jarrett explains how we can ensure that our last years are comfortable and not a burden to us, the health care system and, most importantly, our loved ones. Jarrett has cared for elderly patients for many years and after reading this book, one feels assured of his empathy and compassion towards all his patients.

Too much medicine and too little helping people and their families gain a realistic vision of old age and dying. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.David Jarrett has been a doctor for forty years, thirty of which as an NHS consultant in geriatric and stroke medicine.

He marries the importance of keeping ourselves useful with the necessity not to take ourselves too seriously. A mixture of reminiscences drawn from the author's family life and a long medical career and reflections on how to deal with death and dying. If a doctor can perform an abortion or transgender operation I don’t understand why a patient can’t request an end of life assist.This wonderfully enlightening book by a doctor who cares for the dying is a plea for all of us to consider now what a good death should look like and what we’d want for ourselves. And I loathe fish, can't eat lamb and must steer clear of certain other foods that make my skin itch.

Old age and the end of life are things that we need to prepare for and discuss with our family members. A refrain throughout the book is: "Just because a treatment can be given does not mean it should be given. I would highly recommend reading it and then discussing its contents with family members and your GP. This unusual and important book is a series of reflections on death in all its forms: the science of it, the medicine, the tragedy and the comedy.

Anything we prepare for is so much easier to handle than becoming overwhelmed due to our lack of tools to sort things out clearly.