More than 29,000

I have been at a Spirited Conversation tonight. Speaker was a friend of mine who is CEO of Mary Potter hospice. One of the comments Ria made was that in 2009 there were just under 29,000 people who died in NZ. That is likely to be the smallest number of deaths for many years as 2009 also represented the year before the first of the baby boom generation turned 65. From 2010 onwards the proportion of older people in NZ will grow year on year for decades. Because of people like Tony and me and our tens of thousands of peers.Was an interesting discussion. The hospice in Wellington has 18 beds but has around 220 people On any day - pretty obviously most people are not at the hospice but being cared for at home or in a rest home or private hospital. Apparently14 days in the hospice is quite a long time.

Made me think. And of course death is something that will happen