October

I remember once asking one of my retired patients what he had done for a living. When I found out he had been a college professor, I asked him what he taught. After a pensive pause, where he reflected on his teaching life, he looked at me sadly and answered, “In retrospect, not a heck of a lot.”

Dr Madeline Huang Chung was born in Shanghai, China, on 3 July 1925. She passed away in her sleep on 22 August 2021 after facing dementia with grace and dignity for many years. She lived a full and eventful life as a loving, dedicated family member, wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as a trail-blazing female physician.

As the global COVID-19 death toll hits a new high every day, our hearts sink together with those of the families and friends of the deceased. For most of us, thinking about death is not a daily practice. It is in times like this that the thought of death could strike us as we watch the grief and pain behind each addition to the death toll. I remember receiving news about my aunt’s cancer prognosis a few years ago and how shocked I was, for the first time, at the thought of someone close to me dying. Death is such a taboo topic and it is feared in many cultures.

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Most of us have been licensed to drive a motor vehicle all of our adult lives and we depend on this privilege, but when age-related health issues or disabilities arise, we may be required to give up our driving licence. For many older adults, the loss of a driver’s licence has huge impacts on their social connectedness, their ability to participate in family and other events, and sometimes even their ability to continue working. For many, it will also impact their mental and physical health.

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