topic Re: When someone over 65 dies in Community Chat

When someone over 65 dies

lovescats — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 02:34:35 GMT

When someone over 65 dies of the virus what is the cause listed as the virus or the underlying condition? Is it the same in all states? When I read the obits I have to wonder? Nursing homes are big business and the head person is ofter a doctor who would sign the death certificate?

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Mary Bailey — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 02:51:01 GMT

where I live... no Obits, so far, have mentioned the virus

DH works at a hospital and here are deaths from virus every day

so IDK.

somewhere they are happening

they are all ages

Re: When someone over 65 dies

lovescats — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:17:20 GMT

Regrettably, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, there will be no public visitation. A public service to celebrate life will be announced at a later time once the C.D.C. restrictions are lifted.

this is listed in some obits but not all but that doesn't necessarily mean anything

I think it is edging up to 70 cases here. no deaths but on tv I think they said 3 workers at 2 different nursing homes in the county. The nursing homes are on lockdown here with no visitors allowed.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

RoughDraft — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:21:11 GMT

I just read today in the HuffPo that hundreds of "young" people are dying of COVIC19.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

esmerelda — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:23:11 GMT

My understanding is that if someone dies who has the virus, it doesn’t matter whether they died of a heart attack or whatever...if they have the virus, that is listed as the cause of death.

In public, in the obit...I haven’t seen it and COD isn’t usually listed in an obit. Sometimes “after a long illness”...nothing more than that.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Mz iMac — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:23:16 GMT

Not known what is on the death certificate. Recently on our local news they reported about the death of a firefighter. Virus was mentioned as if it was the main cause however, the reporter also mentioned the firefighter had other health issues. I suspect the "other health issues" contributed to his death.

The firefighter's union is trying to help the widow collect his penson/death benefits by claiming "on the job" death as he caught the virus while on the job.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

JaneMarple — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:24:56 GMT

@lovescats wrote:
When someone over 65 dies of the virus what is the cause listed as the virus or the underlying condition? Is it the same in all states? When I read the obits I have to wonder? Nursing homes are big business and the head person is ofter a doctor who would sign the death certificate?

What makes you ask this question?

Re: When someone over 65 dies

lovescats — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:27:09 GMT

@RoughDraft wrote:
I just read today in the HuffPo that hundreds of "young" people are dying of COVIC19.

yes there was a recent obit of a young person from a border state and it said they had worked at one of those big stores

Re: When someone over 65 dies

MamaWick — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:30:16 GMT

I have seen several obits that say "complications of coronavirus"

Re: When someone over 65 dies

lovescats — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:41:18 GMT

@JaneMarple wrote:
@lovescats wrote:
When someone over 65 dies of the virus what is the cause listed as the virus or the underlying condition? Is it the same in all states? When I read the obits I have to wonder? Nursing homes are big business and the head person is ofter a doctor who would sign the death certificate?
What makes you ask this question?

Because at least 3 workers at 2 nursing homes have been reported as having the virus. All the nursing homes in the county are on lockdown with no vistors allowed. I don't think doctors here have to list the cause of death as the virus and a lot of nursing homes are owed by doctor groups. There have been no deaths in this county yet.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Katcat1 — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 03:42:06 GMT

@RoughDraft COVID 19 does not care how old you are. It is interested in your cells. It needs the right cell to produce the infection in your body. A baby was recently diagnosed. It's so important to protect yourself with a face mask because someone may just been afflicted with the virus and symptoms have not started so you may think that person is safe. Who would have thought we would be in the crisis right now? Very sad, very serious.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Isobel Archer — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 04:09:46 GMT

@JaneMarple wrote:
@lovescats wrote:
When someone over 65 dies of the virus what is the cause listed as the virus or the underlying condition? Is it the same in all states? When I read the obits I have to wonder? Nursing homes are big business and the head person is ofter a doctor who would sign the death certificate?
What makes you ask this question?

CDC issued guidelines that if Covid played any part to list it as cause of death.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

pitdakota — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 05:11:18 GMT

@lovescats wrote:
When someone over 65 dies of the virus what is the cause listed as the virus or the underlying condition? Is it the same in all states? When I read the obits I have to wonder? Nursing homes are big business and the head person is ofter a doctor who would sign the death certificate?

________________________________________________________

So for the sake of discussion, let's say you have a history of asthma and you are driving somewhere when you are involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. You are taken to the ER, then on to surgery because you have sustained multiple internal injuries...ruptured spleen, broken ribs one which punctures your lung, etc.

After surgery is finished, they are not able to get you to breathe efficiently on your own, so they leave you intubated and put you on a ventilator in the post anesthesia care unit. From there you are transferred to ICU where you continue to have trouble on the ventilator maintaining an adequate oxygen level. You start a downhill trajectory in which you end up with multi-organ failure and die.

You think the cause of death would be the asthma because asthma is an underlying condition and maybe if it hadn't been for the asthma things would have turned out differently? The cause of death would be the motor vehicle accident. You were doing perfectly ok at the time of the accident and it is what led to the series of events that caused your death. Even though you had asthma.

Same in nursing home deaths with the virus. Those individuals have underlying medical conditions but they were alive and functioning until they contracted the virus. Once they contracted the virus they were not able to overcome the series of events the virus caused with those conditions present. But cause of death is still the virus.

No one is under any requirement to release cause of death in an obituary. Family may choose to do so, but they are not required to do so.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

denisemb — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:40:41 GMT

Don't want to hijack this thread but it made me think...and maybe a medical professional can help.

Let's say a patient with a pre-existing condition passes suddenly (not a car accident or something obvious). Considering the crazy busy situation at hospitals now, is it a "best guess" cause of death towards pre-existing condition or are autopsies being done? Does Covid-19 even SHOW UP during an autopsy, or would it require the Covid-19 test, too?

I realize surviving family have an ultimate say over autopsies, but are alternate processes taking place now?

Re: When someone over 65 dies

magicmoodz — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 09:18:54 GMT

I understood a doctor on a local talk show to explain it this way:

Let's say John was recuperating from a heart attack and then tested positive for COVID-19 and died. Cause of death would be COVID-19.

Now let's say John tested positive for COVID-19 and then had a heart attack and died. Cause of death would be heart attack.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

catter70 — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 09:52:42 GMT

There was one obit in my local paper today saying person died of complications from Covid-19. She was elderly.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

ID2 — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:47:34 GMT

EVERY death notice lately I've seen have listed the cause of death was the COVID-19 virus if deemed necessary. I actually found that interesting that it looks intentional that this virus was the cause of these particular deaths.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

violann — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:54:48 GMT

We are told here, in my geographic area, that a face mask protects NOT the person wearing it, but the people that person encounters.

The virus is so tiny that it can permeate most, if not all common fabrics that "household" masks would screen. The mask stops the expulsion of virus bearing saliva from leaving the mouth of the person wearing it.

One of the original concerns about asking people to "mask up" was that masking would encourage a false sense of security in people who chose to wear them.

Also in our geographic area, many, MANY obituaries, for people of ALL AGES, indicate that the Corona Virus was the cause of death.

It is almost "quaint" to me that this would even be a consideration. Financial concerns? Family pride? Denial?These may be luxuries to which some of us have no access.

Where I live, the fear, and the truth, are VERY CLOSE. I plead with all of you, BE SAFE. Being an alarmist is by no means my typical life style. There is no "sunny side" to this. If you happen to live in an area that will never see a single case, BLESS YOU, AND BE GRATEFUL.

But if you are warned by medically based authority, if you are told to stay home, if you are told that you "might" be in a vulnerable group.....LISTEN.

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Theoriginallacey — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:12:50 GMT

So it stops the virus going out, but not coming in?

Re: When someone over 65 dies

Janey2 — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:54:56 GMT

@Theoriginallacey I read many articles about wearing masks. If you want to read up on this topic there is one in Popular Science, The Atlantic, and Forbes. There seems to be some pros and cons about wearing masks. What all seem to agree upon is that you are not wearing a mask to stop yourself from getting infected but to stop someone else from getting infected.