Being Mortal. Feb. 10 on PBS

Death is something we will all one day face. So why is it so hard for doctors to talk about dying with their patients? And how can the medical profession better help people navigate the final chapters of their lives with confidence, direction and purpose? Renowned surgeon and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande explored those questions in his #1 New York Times bestselling book, Being Mortal. Now, Gawande teams with FRONTLINE on a Feb. 10 [check local TV listings] documentary that challenges us all to reexamine how we think about death and dying. Three years in the making, Being Mortal is a provocative, powerful, and deeply personal look at how and why, in Gawande’s words, “medicine fails the people it’s supposed to help” at the end of life. Read on.