THE passing of my aunt some weeks ago has opened my mind on my own mortality and vulnerability. It also allowed me to reflect on some grim realities of life.

My aunt has been on sick bed since late last year. After her initial bout with an enlarged heart, she was still generally okay. But since her second attack last summer, she deteriorated steadily. Hence, for several months before she finally left, she has been under the care of family members.

It comes clear to me how physically demanding and exhausting it could be to be looking after a sick (or ‘dying’ to put it more bluntly) relative. Constant monitoring of his/her condition, feeding, changing and giving medications can drain one’s energy. Then there are emotional fits to bear too - as an ill person easily becomes irritable, moody, depressed and angry at times. Well, if you are a nurse tending to the sick, these emotional fits may not affect you to the least because you are dealing with someone with whom you have no affinity or relation. There is no attachment whatsoever. But if you are caring for a loved one, these emotional outbursts can move you and put you to the edge.

To be sick and dying. This is a condition that everyone dreads. If there is a family to take care of you at this stage, you are lucky. Yet the problem is - our family too have lives of their own. True, they can put their lives into a standstill for the moment, but the question is - until when and where.