549 pages (large print) ; 22 cm;It is harder to be seriously ill - and much harder to die - than ever before. These days, we effectively treat diseases, but often overlook the priorities of the people who are ill. As a result, too many Americans suffer needlessly and die badly. Here one of the nation's foremost leaders in palliative care takes us inside a state-of-the-art academic medical center and opens our eyes to an issue that will affect our loved ones, our neighbors, and ourselves;Includes bibliographical references (pages 495-524) and index;Pt. 1. The best care possible. The best care possible -- pt. 2. Life-and-death decisions. Between Scylla and Charybdis, a rock and a hard place, and the Devil and the deep blue sea ; Balancing acts: weighing potential benefits against risks and burdens -- pt. 3. Palliative care: completing the therapeutic continuum. Palliative care: a surprising new specialty (Hint: it's not just for dying) ; Morbidity and mortality -- pt. 4. Real doctoring for the twenty-first century. What are doctors for? ; The busy day that Sharon died -- pt. 5. Transforming medicine and society. Fixing health care ; Imagining a care-full society ; Standing on common high ground