Dr Laurie Mallery is a practising physician of internal and geriatric medicine at a major urban teaching hospital, where she takes care of frail older patients and sees a lot of dying. But Dr Mallery writes this account, not only as a physician but as a daughter caring for a frail parent at the end of his life. She knew first-hand of the distressing, dehumanizing and lonely deaths that have become the norm for older people, who are routinely subjected to tremendous unnecessary suffering and forced into conditions that rob them of their last shred of dignity.
“A meaningful death experience where people gather to comfort and support the dying person is replaced by ceremonies of blood draws and invasive procedures. My dad’s last year of life drove this point home in a way that I could not ignore. This book follows his health care experience to illustrate the challenges families face today when they try to help their loved ones navigate the health care system and their final years of life with dignity and comfort.”
You can find out more about Dr Mallery’s work and her book here
