Passing Away in December

Paladin1950

Paladin1950

Still love 50's & 60's music!
Location
Mohawk Valley, NY
I have been working in nursing homes since 1996, I have always been amazed how many residents have died in the month of December, usually before Christmas. I have always wondered if there were any connection to religion, since December is supposedly the month that Christ was born. In the past few weeks, about 7 or 8 of the 70 residents have passed on.

Both of my parents died in the months that they were born (March/father, October/mother). So every year when March (month I was born) and December rolls around, it is on my mind.

I have always wondered if other people have noticed how many people they know that have passed on in the month of December.
 

Paladin1950 said:
I have been working in nursing homes since 1996, I have always been amazed how many residents have died in the month of December, usually before Christmas. I have always wondered if there were any connection to religion, since December is supposedly the month that Christ was born. In the past few weeks, about 7 or 8 of the 70 residents have passed on.


I have always wondered if other people have noticed how many people they know that have passed on in the month of December.
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I read somewhere that statistically more people die around the holidays. Sadly I just lost a friend over the Thanksgiving holiday, he was only 55 and died suddenly. btw, wonderful that you work with the elderly, ty
 
I've heard (on NPR) recently about something doctors call holiday-heart attack. People, particularly those with A-fib eat and drink too much and have heart events.

Then there is extra stress and people just over doing it. A few days ago I had my annual, "I'm not going to make it," feeling when I was exhausted, but still had lots to do. All these things might effect the statistics. I can see a chronically ill person just giving up the fight at this time of year.
 
If you believe the store supported media, it is truly a wonderful time of the year. You should go out and spend and spend.

However, the reality is that, especially for single people, the time of the year for the most suicides and feelings of depression. It can be cold and the days so short and the nights sooooooooo long!

So, to some folks it is not the most wonderful time of the year.
 

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Interesting and sad at the same time. I never paid attention to the stats about an increase in deaths during December but my husband passed away December 23rd, 2018. We, as Muslims, don't celebrate Christmas but being he passed just before the holiday, it made planning his funeral more challenging. Really, he should have been interred the next day but added to the mix, he had family in Atlanta that wanted to be here. So he was held longer than Muslims should be. Last year my DIL died unexpectedly on December 11th.
 
My maternal grandmother died on Christmas morning many years ago from pancreatic cancer. I heard the phone ringing in the wee hours of the morning and answered it. I was 15 years old at the time.
 
Della said:
I've heard (on NPR) recently about something doctors call holiday-heart attack. People, particularly those with A-fib eat and drink too much and have heart events.
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Vulnerable people overdo many things.

Packerjohn said:
However, the reality is that, especially for single people, the time of the year for the most suicides and feelings of depression. It can be cold and the days so short and the nights sooooooooo long!
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Understandable with all the emphasis on how happy we’re supposed to be.
 
My mother died on Dec. 28th many years ago.
Edited to add: Maternal grandmother died on Christmas day.
My brother on Thanksgiving, my father died on his own birthday.
My Sister on Father's birthday (15 yrs apart).
First husband on Easter Sunday, second husband on Valentine's Day.
My daughter in January on second husband's birthday (he was not her father)

Edited to add: Maternal grandmother died on Christmas day.
 
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I had a coworker that died unexpectedly on Christmas when he was only 40 yrs old.

I googled the subject and there is a correlation and the article said the higher death rate for the December holidays had increased over the years. Some of the effect they determined was from people postponing going to the doctor. I think I've actually read that in someone's post on SF, that they were going to wait until after the holiday to go to the doctor for a problem. It also sounded like some of the effect could be attributed to quality of medical care during the holidays. My thought is all the bad excessive food intake must add some deaths.


excess holiday deaths.jpg
 
HoneyNut said:
Some of the effect they determined was from people postponing going to the doctor.
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That and most of the doctors close their offices between Xmas and NYs.

In snow country, we also have heart attack snow. Mainly men insisting on shovelling too heavy or too much.

We also have more fatalities because of dangerous conditions on the roads. Or drinking and driving.
 

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