A good death

My grandmother was with us on a camping holiday and died peacefully at night in the caravan having had a lovely day at the beach lying in a deckchair and paddling her feet in the sea. I am hoping to go the same way, peacefully when asleep after a good day. However she had chronic heart failure and what was then called senile diabetes. I hope not to get those. Her husband my grandfather died a few years before on returning home after a meeting. My other grandmother was younger when she died in her arm chair listening to the D Day radio commentary.

My mother died at home with me, going downhill for 12 days. My father-in-law was in hospital unable to swallow which was not too so good. My friend had kidney failure. We visited her in hospital. It was afternoon visiting, we had a little chat, she told my friend and I that she was tired and we could go. Her family visited that evening and then she died at 11 pm. All seemed very peaceful.

Another friend died at home addressing her Christmas cards with a glass of red wine beside her.

I am hoping to be at home but do not intend to live with children so if housekeeping becomes too much for me I accept that I will move into a home and take a favourite bookcase and my laptop with photos etc. My gret aunt was in a boarding house. Just before her hundredth birthday she gave a big family party and then died one evening a few days later. She had always said she would not live to be a hundred and that she would give a party before she died!!! And she did. Hope I am lucky enough to go so well.

I'm not in the least worried about death, just the fear of it hurting. I want to go with dignity, with my loved ones around, but above all, I want to go before I'm unable to enjoy life - if I can't enjoy music, walking, reading, talking, studying, etc, you may as well put me out of my misery there and then, because I would no longer be me!

So we want a Dignitas here don't we?