Las Vegas Review-Journal - The Book Nook

  The one thing everyone in the world has in common is that we will all die someday. What separates many of us is how we handle our deaths. Some will go out fighting to survive. Some will accept the inevitable with grace and dignity. Others will hurry the process along by their own hand.
  Dr. David J. Casarett, one of the country’s leading palliative care specialists, takes a look at how people handle the eventuality of death in his book, “Last Acts: Discovering Possibility and Opportunity at the End of Life.”
  Drawing from 53 cases he personally observed or treated, Casarett looks at the many varied ways that terminally ill patients handle the news that they are not going to recover from their conditions or illnesses, and will indeed, die.
  The main question Casarett discovered among his patients was — what is the best way to handle the time they had left?
  Some struggle to maintain control: 
  — Tom was determined to finish up all his work projects and obligations, even while growing weaker every day, instead of spending time with his family.
  — Marie, a lesbian, rewrites her will to leave her estate to various liberal charities in the name of her disapproving parents, wanting to punish them for disowning her.
  — Ladislaw struggles desperately to find a drug-testing program he can participate in, in an effort to contribute something of his life toward a cure for cancer.
  — Julie unable to communicate except through eye blinks, makes one last request of her medical providers to allow her to die sitting up, something she’s been unable to do on her own in years.
  — Danny hides from his employees, who he felt would try to extract revenge upon him for his cruel treatment of them. He didn’t want to bother to make amends. 
  Many of the stories Casarett shares are heartbreaking, as are his own struggles to understand his profession, but there are also stories of joy and peace among the grief:
  — Carlos wanted a party organized for his family and friends to attend, and where he could be the guest of honor.
  — Teenager Lana was content to greet the sunrise each day.
  — The ethereal Christine who was so serene and accepting of the end of her life, and chose to spend each day in an attitude of gratitude and peace. 
  “Last Acts” is a unique look at palliative care and hospice care, both of which focus on preventing and relieving pain and suffering for people facing the end of their lives. This is not a “Bucket List” type of book, but a thoughtful and intelligent look how people can make the most of the end of their days. Casarett has created an excellent guidebook for patients and their families, offering advice, ideas and a certain comfort that many would not have considered otherwise at a time when life seems out of control.