Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat
Where to buy Building Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat books online?
- ISBN13: 9781401323233
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
A remarkable cat. A special gift. A life-changing journey.
They thought he was just a cat.
When Oscar arrived at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island he was a cute small guy with attitude. He loved to stretch out in a puddle of sunlight and chase his tail until he was dizzy. Occasionally he consented to a scratch behind the ears, but only when it suited him. In additional words, he was a predictable cat. Or so it seemed. It wasn’t long before Oscar had made something of a stir.
Rumor has it that, this ordinary cat possesses an extraordinary gift: he knows instinctively when the end of life is near.
Oscar is a welcome distraction for the residents of Steere House, many of whom are living with Alzheimer’s. But he never spends much time with them–until they are in their last hours. Then, as if this were his job, Oscar strides purposely into a uncomplaining’s room, curls up on the bed, and starts his vigil. Oscar provides comfort and companionship when people need him most. And his presence lets caregivers and loved ones know that it’s time to say excellent-bye.
Oscar’s gift is a tender mercy. He teaches by example: embracing moments of life that so many of us shy away from.
Building Rounds with Oscar is the tale of an unusual cat, the patients he serves, their caregivers, and of one doctor who learned how to listen. Heartfelt, inspiring, and full of humor and pathos, this book allows readers to take a walk into a world rarely seen from the outside, a world we regularly misunderstand.
Praise for Building Rounds With Oscar
“This touching and engaging book is a must-read for more than just cat lovers; anyone who enjoys a well-written and compelling tale will find much to admire in its unlikely hero.”
-Publisher’s Weekly
“I like this book — Oscar has much to teach us about empathy and courage. I couldn’t place it down.”
-Sarah Gruen, leader of Water for Elephants
“At its heart, Dosa’s search is more about how people cope with death than Oscar’s alleged ability to predict it.”
-The Linked Press
“Perfectly written, heartwarming [...] Told with profound insight and fantastic respect for all involved, this is more than just a cat tale (although it will appeal to fans of Vicki Myron’s Dewey).”
-Library Journal
“You’ll be stirred.”
-People
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This is a review not in the _overview_ sense, but rather an evaluation/assessment.
The cat Oscar is an insignificant part of this book. The being of additional cats and animals at the nursing home is mentioned, but small more, because they are in additional sections of the facility. I had expected the animal-uncomplaining interaction, reportedly therapeutic, to be a significant fraction of this book.
This book is predominantly a collection of brief tales of patients and their families, and the leader’s interactions with them. While these tales are individually charming, all take the same simple form. As a replacement for of building upon earlier ones, tales are minor variants of each additional. About a third of the way into the book, it got very repetitive; middle, it was taxing. Initially, the leader’s casual style came across as very authentic, but as the repetitions piled up, it became “Get an editor!!” But, if you read a book in fleeting spurts–for example before going to bed–you may appreciate the book being a series of fleeting tales and not notice the repetitions.
My mother had dementia. In reading this book, I had no result of “I wish I had known this then”, “I would recommend this to a name in that situation” or even “Well said.” The advice is what you would likely get in a brochure from your doctor, although a _few_ of the tales in this book could certainly help drive home persons points. But whether you have a similar result depends upon how you absorb and remember information. This book has only one or two points per tale and regularly multiple tales covering the same point, rather than longer narratives covering a progression points. Thus, you will read things like outlines of how couples met and became loving families over and over and over again. These details were unnecessary to know the point of the tale and didn’t provide any help in remembering persons points.
It is the overwhelming mass of this mess that is largely reliable for my rating. I differ from the many positive reviews here partly because my standard is not “Did I learn anything?”, but rather “Did I learn enough (for the time invested)?”, especially relative to alternate sources of information.
Unlike many reviewers here, I didn’t warm to the positive and uplifting message of the book because I had been through the situation and veteran the reality, and even then not as the family tree member with primary involvement. Although the book _acknowledges_ that this is a gut-wrenching, exhausting experience, it is open in a sanitized, nearly romanticized, way. Although the leader had been through this himself, the learned detachment necessary for a doctor seems to have prevailed.
DECEPTIVE TITLE: If you have read a related newspaper tale or some of the reviews here, there will be small new in the book about Oscar. I estimate that the actual history and discussion of Oscar would cumulatively constitute less than five pages, excluding mere mentions and redundancies. He deserves better.
As described, Oscar is not present until the uncomplaining’s final hours or days, at which point the uncomplaining is probably unaware of him. His presence at the deathbed seems to be more of a comfort to the staff, and possibly the uncomplaining’s family tree.
——
CAUTION: The book tends to reinforce the notion that Alzheimer’s and dementia are effectively the same, rather than the ex- being one of several types of dementia. The leader works on a floor of the nursing home dedicated to advanced cases of dementia and similar diseases, and since the patients are already in the death spiral, the distinctions are largely beside the point for him. Although there seems to be no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease, additional types of dementia may benefit from treating the underlying causes, especially in slowing the decline. Sorry to say, it is hard-to-impossible to reliably distinguishing the types except at an autopsy. Heeding the book’s message that most treatment is futile (not justified?) could cause families to fail to take appropriate action for these additional types of dementia.
My experience suggests that doctors may leap to misdiagnoses of Alzheimer’s. For my mother’s dementia, my research fervently suggested that it was vascular in origin, but her doctor refused to consider that possibility even after a recall on her pacemaker revealed that it had been malfunctioning for some time. I have friends whose elderly parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after an injury or illness rendered them inactive–While persons doctors advocated exercise to improve cognitive function, they were rumor has it that disinclined to consider that lack of exercise could have the opposite effect.
Part of my mother’s “confusion” may have been the result of drug side-effects and interactions–her Primary Care Physician (PCP) was unwilling to take on the task of coordinating her medications. I have heard similar accounts from friends. Aside: My mother refused to change her PCP, but when he retired, her new PCP came to an assessment similar to mine.
This review is based on an “Advanced Reading Copy”.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
I was very interested in the concept of this book and looked forwards to reading it. The first couple chapters were the best, then it just became “oh, another chapter with different uncomplaining demographics where THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS” over and over.
OK, I get it, the doctor doesn’t want to judge in the magic cat. He doesn’t have to beat me over the head with his doubts. I finished it only out of hopes that something else would take place. Nope.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
I have NOT yet read the book; I have followed Oscar’s tale for years, and will be ordering the book before long.
If he can take time out of his busy schedule tending to the dying, it would be wonderful if he could reproduce, if that is possible.
As an animal lover, my heart soars to envision such facilities afoot with furry ones scampering from room to room, if not to preface death, at least to hang out for an hour or two bringing joy and a smile. I suppose the health department would have something to say about that, but who cares.
I guess we call them service animals?
LONG LIVE Oscar!!!!!!!!!!!
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
As a cat lover, I establish this book disappointing. I was hoping for more about the cat, who is the most appealing element of the tale. But there are many chapters that go by where the cat doesn’t make an appearance at all, sometimes isn’t even referred to.
Each chapter starts with a brief quotation, each by a different leader (although “Unknown” seems to have contributed several). Many of these quotations are very clever…more so than the book itself. I got the feeling Dr. Dosa went through a copy of Bartlett’s and hackneyed down every line he could find about cats
The thought of a cat that is precognizant of terminally ill patients’ imminent and eventual death is a fascinating one, especially considering that this is a right tale. But the leader, a doctor who gradually comes to judge in and support the cat’s “mission,” spends far too much time, in my opinion, on the back tales of people who die under his care at a nursing home, as well as reasonably a bit of preaching about health care in all-purpose and dementia in particular.
It’s a tough path to tread, being right to one’s calling and making an enjoyable read. I don’t reflect Dr. Dosa reasonably pulled it off.
This is a prepublication edition. I trust that an editor will go through it and spot, for example, where the word “then” is used as a replacement for of “than,” which occurs more than once…or the word “cause” as a replacement for of “case” in a passage from Alice in Wonderland.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
I hope leader David Dosa has made a generous donation to the Rhode Island SPCA or some additional appropriate animal-centered charity.
Oscar must have made this man a tiny chance and lacking Oscar that wouldn’t have been possible.
Come on, Doctor Dosa, now is the time to prompt your gratitute to Oscar by helping his fellow felines who are less fortunate.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5