Memento mori

WHO among us isn't scared of ageing and dying? Who isn't frightened by the prospect of getting dementia, which could mean forgetting the names and faces of one's own relatives - never mind losing one's driving licence? Who isn't worried by the possibility of becoming so frail or vegetative, one has to be washed and clothed by someone else?

Even if death itself doesn't scare one - it might just be a long-awaited end of a very fulfilling life - one may still fear being a burden to one's families in the weeks, months or years preceding that moment.

The indignities and absurdities of old age, coupled with the humiliating loss of independence, are some reasons why many people categorically reject life-sustaining treatments, artificial ventilation, tube feeding or anything else that stops them from a-going when the Grim Reaper comes a-calling.