--- product_id: 22179593 title: "The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care" price: "30367CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/22179593-the-conversation-a-revolutionary-plan-for-end-of-life-care store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care **Price:** 30367CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care - **How much does it cost?** 30367CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/22179593-the-conversation-a-revolutionary-plan-for-end-of-life-care) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In this "enlightening" (Jane Brody, New York Times) book, Harvard Medical School physician Angelo E. Volandes offers a solution to traumatic end-of-life care: talking, medicine's oldest tool. There is an unspoken dark side of American medicine--keeping patients alive at any price. Two thirds of Americans die in healthcare institutions, tethered to machines and tubes at bankrupting costs, even though research shows that most prefer to die at home in comfort, surrounded by loved ones. Dr. Angelo E. Volandes believes that a life well lived deserves a good ending. Through the stories of seven patients and seven very different end-of-life experiences, he demonstrates that what people with a serious illness, who are approaching the end of their lives, need most is not new technologies but one simple thing: The Conversation. He argues for a radical re-envisioning of the patient-doctor relationship and offers ways for patients and their families to talk about this difficult issue to ensure that patients will be at the center and in charge of their medical care. It might be the most important conversation you ever have. Review: Very Simple, Very Useful, Required Reading For Seniors - This book is part of what really is a revolutionary approach to health care as the end of life approaches -- treat the patient, not the disease. Doctor Volandes wants patients and their doctors to think about the health care they want when an illness reaches the point where a cure is unlikely. The way he wants patients to think about it is by learning what various alternative kinds of care entail, and by talking about what they want -- openly and honestly, with their loved ones and their doctors. Do they want medical professionals to "do anything"? Do that want some support of functions that are failing, but not the most drastic? Or do they want comfort care, in which everything possible is done to eliminate pain and discomfort, but in which drastic measures are not taken. If no decision is made, Dr. Volandes points out, the medical default is to do anything to keep the patient alive; that's what medical ethics call for unless the patient orders otherwise, and that's how the system works. Allowing this to happen, or in fact deciding to "do anything" often has nothing to do with treating the illness itself, but consists of treating the conditions that arise from it -- CPR when the heart stops, a ventilator when breathing fails, a feeding tube when the patient cannot eat. These may prolong life, but the quality of life that results can be miserable. For those who are already at that point, or who have loved ones at that point, these are decisions that need to be made, or the default will apply. Some may in fact choose the "do anything" option: that's their choice. But many others will choose not to accept drastic treatment, and will focus instead on care that keeps the comfortable. These are choices that need to be considered, and communicated clearly before a crisis arises. For those of us who are not ill, but who are getting on, these are also choices that should be considered and communicated. If nothing else, it can spare our loved ones a great deal of anguish when our time comes. Dr. Volandes way of doing this is what he calls "The conversation". He provides ways of approaching this, and he also talks about ways of communicating one's wishes once choices have been made -- living wills, health care proxies, and so on and so forth. This is a compassionate "how to" guide to making -- and communicating! -- choices that older people should make. Review: Too Important to Skip - A few weeks ago, I read an article regarding Doctor Angelo Volandes's book, The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of Life Care and I bumped it to the top of my TBR pile. PLOT - In his non-fiction book, Volandes explains how years of working with terminally ill patients, plus personal experience with his own father, have made him realize the need for patients to create an end-of-life plan for themselves, while they are still healthy and competent to make their wishes known. Volandes noticed that this was a topic that everyone, including doctors, want to avoid, creating issues where patients do not understand their options or their wishes are ignored. As part of his efforts to communicate this issue, Volandes spent years creating a video to show patients their options for end-of-life care. In The Conversation, Volandes recounts the experiences with a variety of patients and their families, which led him to push people to open the dialogue. LIKE - The Conversation is an important book and although it's not an easy topic, everyone should discuss their end-of-life wishes with family, friends and doctors. In recent years, I've been in charge of the medical decisions for both my mom and aunt as they were dying. This was so, so tough and honestly, even though I knew their wishes on paper, we never had a real conversation about it. I had to make some decisions, without knowing what their exact wishes would have been. Having that important conversation was just too difficult to have. What I liked most about The Conversation, is that Volandes never pushes one idea. He recognizes that end-of-life decisions are different for everyone and that it can be based on a number of issues, like family, culture, religion, and even a patients own fears. One patient was a young mother dying of advanced cancer and she wanted the doctors to do everything possible to keep her alive, so that she might make it to one more Easter with her family. Other patients would rather have pain management, than aggressive treatment, picking a potentially shorter life with better quality, over the need to be kept alive at all costs. The main message of the book was a greater need to understand the options and for patients to have the power to choose the best option for them. The title of the book includes the words "revolutionary plan"...this is a bit tongue and cheek, as the revolutionary aspect of it, is simply the shift in perspective, getting people to open the dialogue. There is nothing that changes having to die or the types of options that we have at the end, it is a revolution in the way that we communicate. DISLIKE - The book was very short. The personal stories of the patients were so interesting, that Volandes could have included more. In an effort to drive home his important message, there was repetitiveness in the book, especially with the appendix section, which is filled with tips on how to have the conversation. This information was more than clear throughout the book and it was repetitious at the end. However, I can forgive the repetition, as the message is so important. RECOMMEND - Yes! Everyone needs to read this book and have those conversations. My own life was plagued with doubt and stress, after family members died and I was left feeling like I may have not followed their wishes. I wish that I could go back in time and have that discussion with them, get clarity. Even if you don't want to read this book, check out Volandes' website and watch his video. Take control of your health and care desires. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #977,653 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #84 in Health Policy (Books) #106 in Hospice Care #214 in Death | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 377 Reviews | ## Images ![The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nVd-yVSHL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Simple, Very Useful, Required Reading For Seniors *by A***S on August 24, 2015* This book is part of what really is a revolutionary approach to health care as the end of life approaches -- treat the patient, not the disease. Doctor Volandes wants patients and their doctors to think about the health care they want when an illness reaches the point where a cure is unlikely. The way he wants patients to think about it is by learning what various alternative kinds of care entail, and by talking about what they want -- openly and honestly, with their loved ones and their doctors. Do they want medical professionals to "do anything"? Do that want some support of functions that are failing, but not the most drastic? Or do they want comfort care, in which everything possible is done to eliminate pain and discomfort, but in which drastic measures are not taken. If no decision is made, Dr. Volandes points out, the medical default is to do anything to keep the patient alive; that's what medical ethics call for unless the patient orders otherwise, and that's how the system works. Allowing this to happen, or in fact deciding to "do anything" often has nothing to do with treating the illness itself, but consists of treating the conditions that arise from it -- CPR when the heart stops, a ventilator when breathing fails, a feeding tube when the patient cannot eat. These may prolong life, but the quality of life that results can be miserable. For those who are already at that point, or who have loved ones at that point, these are decisions that need to be made, or the default will apply. Some may in fact choose the "do anything" option: that's their choice. But many others will choose not to accept drastic treatment, and will focus instead on care that keeps the comfortable. These are choices that need to be considered, and communicated clearly before a crisis arises. For those of us who are not ill, but who are getting on, these are also choices that should be considered and communicated. If nothing else, it can spare our loved ones a great deal of anguish when our time comes. Dr. Volandes way of doing this is what he calls "The conversation". He provides ways of approaching this, and he also talks about ways of communicating one's wishes once choices have been made -- living wills, health care proxies, and so on and so forth. This is a compassionate "how to" guide to making -- and communicating! -- choices that older people should make. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Too Important to Skip *by K***N on February 16, 2015* A few weeks ago, I read an article regarding Doctor Angelo Volandes's book, The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of Life Care and I bumped it to the top of my TBR pile. PLOT - In his non-fiction book, Volandes explains how years of working with terminally ill patients, plus personal experience with his own father, have made him realize the need for patients to create an end-of-life plan for themselves, while they are still healthy and competent to make their wishes known. Volandes noticed that this was a topic that everyone, including doctors, want to avoid, creating issues where patients do not understand their options or their wishes are ignored. As part of his efforts to communicate this issue, Volandes spent years creating a video to show patients their options for end-of-life care. In The Conversation, Volandes recounts the experiences with a variety of patients and their families, which led him to push people to open the dialogue. LIKE - The Conversation is an important book and although it's not an easy topic, everyone should discuss their end-of-life wishes with family, friends and doctors. In recent years, I've been in charge of the medical decisions for both my mom and aunt as they were dying. This was so, so tough and honestly, even though I knew their wishes on paper, we never had a real conversation about it. I had to make some decisions, without knowing what their exact wishes would have been. Having that important conversation was just too difficult to have. What I liked most about The Conversation, is that Volandes never pushes one idea. He recognizes that end-of-life decisions are different for everyone and that it can be based on a number of issues, like family, culture, religion, and even a patients own fears. One patient was a young mother dying of advanced cancer and she wanted the doctors to do everything possible to keep her alive, so that she might make it to one more Easter with her family. Other patients would rather have pain management, than aggressive treatment, picking a potentially shorter life with better quality, over the need to be kept alive at all costs. The main message of the book was a greater need to understand the options and for patients to have the power to choose the best option for them. The title of the book includes the words "revolutionary plan"...this is a bit tongue and cheek, as the revolutionary aspect of it, is simply the shift in perspective, getting people to open the dialogue. There is nothing that changes having to die or the types of options that we have at the end, it is a revolution in the way that we communicate. DISLIKE - The book was very short. The personal stories of the patients were so interesting, that Volandes could have included more. In an effort to drive home his important message, there was repetitiveness in the book, especially with the appendix section, which is filled with tips on how to have the conversation. This information was more than clear throughout the book and it was repetitious at the end. However, I can forgive the repetition, as the message is so important. RECOMMEND - Yes! Everyone needs to read this book and have those conversations. My own life was plagued with doubt and stress, after family members died and I was left feeling like I may have not followed their wishes. I wish that I could go back in time and have that discussion with them, get clarity. Even if you don't want to read this book, check out Volandes' website and watch his video. Take control of your health and care desires. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just so you know... *by J***E on August 12, 2015* This is well written, with lots of great information and interesting stuff to think about. BUT I was surprised at how SHORT it was. When I got to the end, I was like, "Is THAT all there is?" --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/22179593-the-conversation-a-revolutionary-plan-for-end-of-life-care](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/22179593-the-conversation-a-revolutionary-plan-for-end-of-life-care) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-06-23*