Imploding into eternity

...we die of old age because we've been worn and torn and programmed to cave in. The very old do not succumb to disease--they implode their way into eternity.
Sherwin Nuland, MD, "How We Die"

As my 87 year old mother implodes her way piecemeal towards the end, one neuron at a time, I was most comforted by Dr. Nuland's book, particularly the chapter "Doors to Death of the Aged." The inevitability of death for the aged supports our decision to mark this passage for Mom in her home with no ERs, no 911, no tests, no hospitalizations.

Nevertheless, it's rough.