Friday, June 04, 2010

MAKING ROUNDS WITH OSCAR by David Dosa (2010)


David Dosa is a geriatrician working in Boston. He is the attending physician at a nursing home where many of the patients have dementia. MAKING ROUNDS WITH OSCAR: THE EXTRAORDINARY GIFT OF AN ORDINARY CAT is his account of one of the resident felines, who seems to have the knack for knowing when one of the human residents is going to die and is determined to bear witness to that passing and provide whatever comfort he can for both the dying patient and those left behind at the bedside and beyond.

Told in a series of anecdotes, this memoir shows the capacity of pets, and one in particular, to demonstrate an understanding of loss and the importance of true companionship in what may be our darkest hour. Although initially skeptical himself, Dr. Dosa soon comes to value Oscar's instinct and looks to this ordinary often-aloof and typical cat for guidance in terms of timing and supporting his dying patients.

MAKING ROUNDS WITH OSCAR is genuine pet therapy hard at work.

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