Ill-health

Abstract

Much has been written in this book and elsewhere about the impact of loss on human beings, as well as on many other species. The ultimate loss is, of course, death, but the loss of the individual is simply one of many losses encountered by dying people and those who survive them, both prior to and following the death. As other chapters in this book demonstrate, the kinds of losses we experience are multifarious. Every time one makes a change in life, there is a loss involved. This may be welcome, in so far as the future may look rosier, but at the same time, we may be sad to see the end of an era in our lives, bid farewell to a colleague or to a familiar routine.