Can people actually die from old age, or is there always some underlying condition at their old age that causes each death?

Question

Can people actually die from old age, or is there always some underlying condition at their old age that causes each death?

In: Biology

Answer 1

In New Zealand, the elderly are mentally assessed before any major operation and if the healthcare system finds reduced mental capacity, a life saving operation would not be performed.

Dad had a heart valve replacement but if he had failed his mental acuity test, he would not have received that operation and likely would have died of “old age”, but really it would have been an untreated heart issue.