The Best Care Possible

Dr. Ira Byock, one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, argues that how we die is among the biggest national crises facing us today. Dr. Byock makes that case in a new book, The Best Care Possible. (To purchase your copy click here at Rainy Day Books.)

In addressing the sorry state of dying in America, politics has trumped reason. Dr. Byock explains that to ensure the best possible care for those we love—and eventually ourselves—we must not only remake our healthcare system, we must also move past our cultural aversion to talking about dying and acknowledge the fact of mortality once and for all.

In so doing, we can live emotionally authentic, healthier, and more joyful lives.

Dr. Byock brought this message to Kansas City April 19, 2012, as the keynote speaker for the Annual Dinner of the Center for Practical Bioethics.