How Do People Actually ‘Die From Old Age’?

Thousands are currently engaged in solving the problem of death. Maybe they’ll succeed, and out of sheer boredom I’ll reread this sentence when I’m 900 years old, reflecting fondly on the first wasted century of my life. In the meantime, billions are going to die—some from disease, some in freak accidents, and a substantial number from what we generally call “old age.

” That last sounds like a pleasant way to go, comparatively—a peaceful winding-down. But what exactly does it look like? What does it really mean to die from old age? For this week’s Giz Asks , we reached out to a number of experts to find out. This article was originally published on August 3, 2020.



Assistant Professor, Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Assistant Professor, Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, who specializes in palliative care Professor of Medicine and Section Chief of Palliative Care at Duke University School of Medicine, and the author of Shocked: Adventures in Bringing Back the Recently Dead , among other books Assistant Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Do you have a burning question for Giz Asks? Email us at [email protected] . (Updated 3/4/22 with new details).