Amanda was relieved when doctors told her mum, who’d been diagnosed with uterine cancer several months earlier, there was nothing more they could do. “My mum was a powerhouse,” she says. “I knew she would fight because that was her nature. When the doctors said that, it took the pressure off and helped her to a place of acceptance.” For Amanda and ...

When Wendy’s partner asked what she’d do when he was gone, she was taken by surprise. “I said I didn’t know, but would probably throw myself into my work. And there ended the conversation.” After her partner had died, Wendy realised she had unintentionally shut him down. “This had been a golden opportunity for us to share how we felt, our fears, ...

We are no longer allowed to write ‘old age’ as a reason for dying on a death certificate. However, becoming frailer with age makes people more vulnerable to life ending threats. People become more frail with age. The severity and timing of this process is unpredictable. It is largely determined by genes and lifestyle. Apoptosis is a process ...