" It is a great honour to receive the notice that my book, " A Good Life to the End" has been chosen by Openbook as one of the 10 best "Books of Beautiful Life" The book is about how we manage the elderly as they near the end of life. In many countries we admit the elderly frail to acute hospitals for the last few days/weeks of life. This not only does not prolong life but often causes unnecessary suffering and is against the person's wishes to remain at home with their loved ones. This is happening in many countries around the world. The book suggests that we need to be more honest with the elderly frail and to encourage them to make their own choices about they would want to be managed when they are near to the end of their lives.
Again, I would like to thank Openbook for this honour."●
▇得獎好書
優雅的告別:現代醫療對我們是恩惠還是折磨? A Good Life to the End: Taking control of our inevitable journey through ageing and death
作者:肯.修曼(Ken Hillman)
譯者:王念慈
出版:臺灣商務印書館公司
價格:350元
【內容簡介➤】
Tags:
▉評審推薦語
夏瑞紅(作家)
本書作者是一位加護醫學專科醫師,在加護病房工作超過30年。他發現,相較於過去,近年被送進加護病房的病人年齡層增高,而且多是動過大手術而需要仰賴維生機器輔助的高齡病患。
儘管他和同事們都希望自己將來別受加護病房之苦,但如今在加護病房熬過最後時光的人卻越來越多。這讓他開始關注臨終議題。
首先,他以醫學觀點直指「細胞凋亡」乃人體基因內建的死亡程式,人無論如何努力對抗老病,終究難逃一死。他認為看待死亡的前提就是,應以「理性的悲觀」坦然接納死是生的一部份,美好人生本來就包括死亡。
其次,作者坦言醫師訓練是以「竭盡所能拯救生命」為宗旨,他們視病患死亡為自己的「失敗」,本來就不擅於幫助人放下生命。尤其現代醫療體制走向極致分工,每位專科醫師更只著眼於解決自己專業範圍的問題,罕能真正照顧病人整體的健康和生活狀態。因此,醫生經常沒提供家屬全面性的醫療評估,還可能給予家屬不切實際的期待,讓他們無法選擇放棄救治,又不忍見親人受盡醫療折磨,怎樣都難免背負罪惡感。
本書將加護醫療現場如實攤開,又提醒別指望醫院負責善終,讓人讀來可能不大舒服。然而與其以虛妄的樂觀和麻醉式的感性來逃避老病死的恐懼,不如冷靜正視人人遲早都必須面對的臨終旅程,並提前預做抉擇、準備,以期能尊嚴且優雅地與人生告別。
▉得獎感言
撰文:肯.修曼(Ken Hillman),翻譯:陳英哲
我很榮幸得知,我的書《優雅的告別:現代醫療對我們是恩惠還是折磨?》獲得 OpenBook 選入年度「美好生活書」。這本書要說的是,關於我們如何照顧、面對生命終點的年長者。在許多國家,我們會把虛弱到僅剩幾天或幾周生命的長者,送去醫院。這種時候的醫療作為,通常不僅不會延長壽命,而且常常造成不必要的折磨,違背了病患想跟親人在家裡相處的願望。世界上許多國家都有這樣的情況發生。這本書建議我們必須更加誠實面對年長者的脆弱身體,鼓勵面對生命最終的時候,能夠為自己做選擇,並且自己安排想要如何被照顧。
最後,我想要再次感謝 OpenBook 把這個榮譽頒給我。
原文:
" It is a great honour to receive the notice that my book, " A Good Life to the End" has been chosen by Openbook as one of the 10 best "Books of Beautiful Life" The book is about how we manage the elderly as they near the end of life. In many countries we admit the elderly frail to acute hospitals for the last few days/weeks of life. This not only does not prolong life but often causes unnecessary suffering and is against the person's wishes to remain at home with their loved ones. This is happening in many countries around the world. The book suggests that we need to be more honest with the elderly frail and to encourage them to make their own choices about they would want to be managed when they are near to the end of their lives.
Again, I would like to thank Openbook for this honour."●
▇得獎好書
優雅的告別:現代醫療對我們是恩惠還是折磨?
A Good Life to the End: Taking control of our inevitable journey through ageing and death
作者:肯.修曼(Ken Hillman)
譯者:王念慈
出版:臺灣商務印書館公司
價格:350元
【內容簡介➤】
手指點一下,您支持的每一分錢
都是推動美好閱讀的重要力量
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