Page 6 - Seniors Today December 2020
P. 6
Cover Story
Let’s
talk about Death
It’s no secret that we are all going to die one day. We must prepare for it, writes
Vickram Sethi
Recently I was admitted to the hospital stories about Covid-19 in Seniors Today and
diagnosed with Covid-19. I was left all it came back to get me). This bit about “at
alone. Nurses would come administer a your age” rattled me no end. This is the first
drip, injection, check the basic parameters time I really heard the word comorbidities
and you are by yourself till the next time repeated again and again. I suddenly felt old.
the nurse comes into the room again. No I took my walks – exercise seriously at least
visitors are allowed, your phone is the only for the moment.
connection with the outside world. I spent
eight days in the hospital, a tough emotional Labels and statistics
time where you think and rethink about life. I feel affronted at being labelled like this,
An unspoken fact was that death was the connotations of helplessness surely not
silently waiting to happen. However, I applying to me. I heard the statistics and
didn’t see any white wall coming towards shook my head in horror and disbelief. I must
me, neither a white room or angels in white say that none of us feel our age and that I see
waiting to wrap me up. I was quite confident myself quite differently from the face that
that I would pull through this nightmare stares back from the mirror. Definitely a little
and God heaved me out of it. bit of flab here and there and maybe slowing
“At your age” was a common phrase which down of some mental faculties. Yet a new
I heard. Everywhere the media telling us to reality tells me that some adjustments have to
stay inside, stay safe, confine ourselves to be made; perhaps it doesn’t matter what the
our houses so we don’t get exposed because label is as long as we stay safe and alive.
our age places us at a high risk – blood When you are all alone and feeling
pressure, diabetes etc (we published a lot of miserable you tend to wallow more and
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