AIBU to question why they put "Died of old age" on Prince Philip's death certificate?

[SolarLightxoxo]

I mean everyone dies of something surely? It's not like you come to a certain age and you just drop dead.

I think it's quite a kind thing to write. Means a long life and a gently passing

Well it doesnt matter what age people can just stop functioning at any time, in babies and toddlers its called SIDs (sudden infant death syndrom) and in young people and adults SADs (use to be sudden adult death syndrom but was changed recently to sudden arrythmic death syndrom) but it basically mean the body just gave up for no definable reason, sometime they can put a specific thing because there isnt one sometimes people just die.

@mam0918

Well it doesnt matter what age people can just stop functioning at any time, in babies and toddlers its called SIDs (sudden infant death syndrom) and in young people and adults SADs (use to be sudden adult death syndrom but was changed recently to sudden arrythmic death syndrom) but it basically mean the body just gave up for no definable reason, sometime they can put a specific thing because there isnt one sometimes people just die.

*can't

When I first saw this about 20 years ago on a relative's death certificate I found it odd- as if they didn't want to say a particular disease- though in this relative's case dementia might have contributed.
However since then I have seen it a few more times, so have become less surprised.
I have also seen "The frailty of old age" on a death certificate, as one of the causes- there are sometimes a few listed.

@AnnaMagnani

Given he had just spent a well publicised period in hospital writing 'Old Age' is unusual especially as he was well known to his medical team who must have known all his co-morbidities.

Writing 'Old Age' is totally reasonable for a 99 yr old if you can't think of anything else but I can't help feeling that the real reason it has been written is privacy.

Which is something none of the rest of us get.

My nana had been in hospital for about 6 weeks prior to her death from 'old age' - nothing to do with privacy but totally normal for someone of this age.

I was pleased that the cause of Death was old age. I wouldn’t have liked him (or any other person that age) to be in pain or be aware at the end. I’m glad he just slipped away.

At that sort of age, everything just starts to wear out.

That said, it should be noted that old people who die unexpectedly still have a coroner's post mortem - we had this happen with a relative in his mid 80s who died in his sleep, having been fine the day before, including eating lunch in a restaurant. Cause was identified as a specific heart issue, and that was listed as his cause of death - not old age.

Yes, when you're very old you can just drop dead.
Two of my grandparents died of old age. My grandfather was in his late 80s and he was fine but frail (as you'd expect at that age) and he went to sleep one night and died in his sleep. We were told his heart just stopped. My Grandmother was in her mid nineties and felt unwell one evening, went into hospital and we were told she was suffering from multiple organ failure due to old age. Everything was just shutting down. She passed away in the night as well.

Otherwise the list would be so long you'd need multiple sheets - there was no single discernible cause of death, he didn't have a stroke or heart attack, he was simply old and had multi-organ shut down but it was slow.

My father died at 91, - his death was recorded as being from pneumonia. In fact he had end stage alzheimers and had had a stroke 3 weeks prior to his death. So in fact multiple causes. I suppose he might have survived the pneumonia if it had been treated - but we had already been asked about and agreed to DNR and no intervention as the kindest thing for him. Maybe the death cert should have said 'allowed to die peacefully'.

My guess would be that Prince Philip's death was very much expected because of multiple age and organ related conditions, and he came home from hospital because he wanted to be at home when he died.

Post mortem's are pretty horrible for the family of the deceased. My brother had one - despite again, multiple health problems. But he had been seen by a doctor a week previously for what (it is now apparent) were signs of organ failure, but not diagnosed as such. I found the PM was quite an unpleasant thought to get my head around, and also it delays the funeral so you spend a longer time in a sort of pre funeral limbo with no way of saying good bye. especially hard for my Mum and Dad.

@SolarLightxoxo

I guess it happens, but I have never known 'died of old age' to be put on anyone's death certificate.

That's not to say it has never happened, before the pedanticas start on me; just th atI have never known it.

just that I* have never known it.

They put that on my Grans. She was 99 too and it wasn’t one particular thing, just a slow decline.

I see a lot of death certs in my job, and old age is a common cause of death.

Because they don’t want to do an autopsy to find the exact organ that failed etc and they don’t want any stupid rumours either. Look at what the family went through over the rumours around how Diana died. Some people live to make up crap and post it on the internet.

Writing 'Old Age' is totally reasonable for a 99 yr old if you can't think of anything else but I can't help feeling that the real reason it has been written is privacy.

Which is something none of the rest of us get.

You think the general population has less privacy than the royals? Errm, no. We have far more privacy. Unfortunately this is because no-one gives a shit about us, but still, we do get more privacy.

It reflects there is not a single cause, his body simply wore out. I think there is guidelines on this, something like age 80+ and no trauma or obvious single cause. I think it's better than assigning heart or a cancer, or liver failure or whatever when it's complete system failure

Ps I have 4 death certificates on my desk, occupational hazard, two say old age (age 96 and 89) the other two state lung cancer and stroke.

If people want to be picky, you don't die of cancer, you die of organ failure, infection etc but the underlying reason is cancer, old age is the same as far as I can see

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow thanks for replying

I'm pretty sure my grandmother's one says this. She was 98, she didnt have one specific thing wrong. The body has lots of interdependent systems and when you get to that age none of it is working well so effectively most of it fails together!

@Phillipa12

My mum died of old age. She needed a post mortem to ascertain death as she literally dropped down dead, his conclusion was old age as he could find nothing had gone medically wrong with her, she was 68.

I’m sorry to hear about your mum.

I would have thought 68 was premature to be classed as old age? He was 30 years older than this so that’s completely understandable.

@Snozzlemaid

My Nan died at 102 and that's what the doctor put for her but I'm pretty sure they had to change it as it wasn't acceptable.

That’s mental at 102 that they couldn’t say old age

Personally I think it adds dignity to the certificate-almost recognition for a life lived well

Very true. My mum was 97, I wish hers had said old age rather than dementia - of which she never had an official diagnosis.

@Alsohuman

Personally I think it adds dignity to the certificate-almost recognition for a life lived well

Very true. My mum was 97, I wish hers had said old age rather than dementia - of which she never had an official diagnosis.

The cause of death on a death certificate is mainly for statistical purposes. I don't think you ever need to use it for anything else? I certainly don't think it has anything to do with dignity. Very few people get to choose what they die of! And 'old age' as a cause of death is practically useless from a statistical and policy perspective even though I recognise the medics here are comfortable with it. Age is already reported on the certificate and dying of old age at 80 (which really isn't that old these days) could be quite different to dying of old age at 110.

My grandmother's says 'old age'. She was 98, there was nothing specific wrong with her, she was just old.