Book Description
About the Author
Christine W. Hartmann, Research Health Scientist, ENR Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts, and Assistant Professor, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, received her PhD at the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She has published numerous articles on healthcare quality improvement, focusing particularly on long-term care.
Details
- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press (November 18, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 082651796X
- ISBN-13: 978-0826517968
SOURCE: AUTHOR
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
Christine Hartmann’s mother. Irmgard, tells her that she plans on committing suicide when she turns seventy. No matter how many discussions mother and daughter have about it, the fact remains that Irmgard does not want to live through a painful end. After watching her brilliant father descend into dementia and suffer strokes, her mother is determined not to share the same fate. Hartmann has recreated her conversations with her mother to tell her about the loss she suffered when both her parents pass. This is a very emotional memoir that will hit home with anyone who has lost a parent.
Hartmann should be thanked for publishing this important story about her own grief and loss of her parents. It is a story that everyone can relate to that has elderly parents and one that should open discussions about your own end of life choices with your children. I was truly heartbroken by the end of the story when her mother actually follows through with the act. Even though it was discussed, I don’t think Hartmann actually ever thought that her mother would go through with it. This is something all parents and children need to talk about before life gets to a point where you can’t make an informed choice.
This sounds like a powerful and moving book. I do hope that it opens up discussions in families facing similar situations.
Thanks for being on the tour. I’m featuring your review on TLC’s Facebook page today.