Raymond A Fernando's letter to The Strait Times: Be open to
talking about death
My letter to The Strait
Times, the very first one for this year (2018) on the above subject is
published today, Wednesday 3rd January 2018.
What a great start to a new
year to read of the kindness and compassion shown by the Nam Hong Welfare
Service Society to reach out to disadvantaged seniors in Yishun and encouraging
discussions on death and dying (Seniors get free portraits in bid to lift taboo
about death; Jan 1).
Death, just like mental
illness, is often viewed as a taboo subject.
Yet, it is very much a part
of life’s journey.
Facing up to the reality of
impending death enables relatives to make early and concrete plans to ensure
that their dying loved ones pass on with dignity, knowing they were surrounded
with love and care before their last breath.
Some areas that require
some advanced planning when a loved one is at the last stages of his or her
life include preparing an obituary, writing a will, determining the
distribution of assets, settling outstanding loans (if any), arranging meetings
to put to bed any unresolved issues, taking note of funeral service
preferences, etc.
There are hundreds of
seniors who live alone and there is a dire need to reach out to them so that
when they eventually die, they must never feel unloved and uncared for.
Raymond
Anthony Fernando
No comments:
Post a Comment