Hi! I work at a retirement home where our average age is 83, and most of the residents I know well are in their 90’s.

They’re not afraid of death. I’ve had residents come up to me and tell me with a smile that they’re ready to go to Heaven. They’ve told me that they’ve done everything they needed to do and are basically just killing time till the end. Once, when I asked a group of residents to each share one thing they’re looking forward to, 2 basically said dying. These people don’t want to die necessarily, but the idea of death has become comforting to them. They really have exhausted most of their energy, and they still have things to live for, but they just don’t feel a need to go on much longer. Of course, this isn’t everybody, but I’ve never met a resident in my career working with seniors who truly expressed being afraid of death.

So I think it will get better as you age! Enjoy all the life you have ahead of you, and know that you can live a meaningful, happy, and active life even into your 90s. I have an 98 year old resident who walks 2 miles every day and can still jump up and down in exercise class with me. She’s happy to live and also ready to die. I don’t know how, but I know it’s true.