The authoritative, informative, and reassuring guide on end-of-life
care for our aging population.
Most people say they would like to die quietly at home. But overly
aggressive medical advice, coupled with an unrealistic sense of
invincibility or overconfidence in our health-care system, results in
the majority of elderly patients misguidedly dying in institutions. Many
undergo painful procedures instead of having the better and more
peaceful death they deserve.
At Peace outlines specific active and passive steps that older
patients and their health-care proxies can take to ensure loved ones
live their last days comfortably at home and/or in hospice when further
aggressive care is inappropriate.
Through Dr. Samuel Harrington's own experience with the aging and deaths
of his parents and of working with patients, he describes the terminal
patterns of the six most common chronic diseases; how to recognize a
terminal diagnosis even when the doctor is not clear about it; how to
have the hard conversation about end-of-life wishes; how to minimize
painful treatments; when to seek hospice care; and how to deal with
dementia and other special issues.
Informed by more than thirty years of clinical practice, Dr. Harrington
came to understand that the American health-care system wasn't designed
to treat the aging population with care and compassion. His work as a
hospice trustee and later as a hospital trustee drove his passion for
helping patients make appropriate end-of-life decisions.
