In a recent interview with Me Naiset, Janne Auvinen, the managing director of the Tampere Workers' Theatre, shared intimate details about the last years of his mother, Eila Roine, a well-known actress who died in December at the age of 94. Auvinen highlighted that Roine had been residing in a care home for the last few years of her life, where she began to long for the release of death, having expressed her wishes to pass away since 2022. He emphasized the naturalness of an elderly person's passing and his sense of release from a situation that was difficult for both him and his mother to endure.

Auvinen recounted that Roine experienced several minor strokes in her final years, which notably affected her memory. One poignant example he shared was her conviction that her husband, Vili Auvinen, who died in 1996, had come to see her at the care home—an indication of her cognitive decline and the toll of her health issues. The anecdote underscores the impact of aging and illness on one's identity and perception of reality, especially as one's connections to the past begin to blur.

The interview touches on deeper themes surrounding life, death, and the acceptance of mortality, particularly in the context of aging in society. Auvinen's reflections on his mother's wish to escape her suffering and the emotional release he felt in her passing invite a broader discussion about how we view the end of life and the narratives we create around death for those who have lived long, rich lives.