Being Mortal

by

Atul Gawande

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Being Mortal makes teaching easy.

Bill Thomas Character Analysis

Bill Thomas is the medical director of a nursing home. When he realizes how dejected many of the residents are, he devises a plan to bring animals, plants, and children into the nursing home. This provides the residents with a greater sense of purpose and meaning as they pitch in to care for the animals and plants and play with the children. This is one example of a person trying to change up the traditional model of nursing homes to better serve its residents.

Bill Thomas Quotes in Being Mortal

The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Bill Thomas or refer to Bill Thomas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Medicine, Survival, and Well-being Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“He agreed, with the indifference of a person who knows he will soon be gone,” Thomas said. But he began to change. “The changes were subtle at first. Mr. L. would position himself in bed so that he could watch the activities of his new charges.” He began to advise the staff who came to care for his birds about what they liked and how they were doing. The birds were drawing him out. For Thomas, it was the perfect demonstration of his theory about what living things provide. In place of boredom, they offer spontaneity. In place of loneliness, they offer companionship. In place of helplessness, they offer a chance to take care of another being. […] Three months later, he moved out and back into his home. Thomas is convinced the program saved his life.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Bill Thomas (speaker), Alice Hobson
Page Number: 124-125
Explanation and Analysis:

The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have had an incorrect view of what makes life significant. The problem is that they have had almost no view at all. Medicine’s focus is narrow. Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health, not sustenance of the soul. Yet—and this is the painful paradox—we have decided that they should be the ones who largely define how we live in our waning days. For more than half a century now, we have treated the trials of sickness, aging, and mortality as medical concerns. It’s been an experiment in social engineering, putting our fates in the hands of people valued more for their technical prowess than for their understanding of human needs.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Bill Thomas
Related Symbols: Hospital
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Being Mortal LitChart as a printable PDF.
Being Mortal PDF

Bill Thomas Quotes in Being Mortal

The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Bill Thomas or refer to Bill Thomas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Medicine, Survival, and Well-being Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“He agreed, with the indifference of a person who knows he will soon be gone,” Thomas said. But he began to change. “The changes were subtle at first. Mr. L. would position himself in bed so that he could watch the activities of his new charges.” He began to advise the staff who came to care for his birds about what they liked and how they were doing. The birds were drawing him out. For Thomas, it was the perfect demonstration of his theory about what living things provide. In place of boredom, they offer spontaneity. In place of loneliness, they offer companionship. In place of helplessness, they offer a chance to take care of another being. […] Three months later, he moved out and back into his home. Thomas is convinced the program saved his life.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Bill Thomas (speaker), Alice Hobson
Page Number: 124-125
Explanation and Analysis:

The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have had an incorrect view of what makes life significant. The problem is that they have had almost no view at all. Medicine’s focus is narrow. Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health, not sustenance of the soul. Yet—and this is the painful paradox—we have decided that they should be the ones who largely define how we live in our waning days. For more than half a century now, we have treated the trials of sickness, aging, and mortality as medical concerns. It’s been an experiment in social engineering, putting our fates in the hands of people valued more for their technical prowess than for their understanding of human needs.

Related Characters: Dr. Atul Gawande (speaker), Bill Thomas
Related Symbols: Hospital
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis: