How is the cause of death determined with a person diagnosed with Parkinsons?

I find it ridiculous when someone dies from a heart attack BUT had a positive covid test, the DC lists covid as the cause of death.

My mother had dementia and congestive heart failure, but her certificate said only that she died of dementia. That really irks me, because pretty much every death certificate I've seen says heart failure as the top cause (because if your heart isn't beating, you're dead), then the reason why your heart stopped, if any.

My mother didn't die of dementia.

When my mom died her cause of death was listed as aspiration pneumonia with advanced dementia listed as the underlying factor, so I imagine in your scenario the cause of death would list the fall as the primary cause of death and Parkinson's as a contributing condition. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My Mom was perfectly healthy but had Dementia. It took 2 weeks, 1 on Hopice for her to pass. One day she closed her eyes and never opened them again. Few days later she would not get out of bed. Couple of days later she could not swallow, Hospice called in. 6 days later she was gone. To me, this was the final stage of Dementia and at 89 you'd thing the cause would be natural causes but no, her death certificate says CHF. My Mom did not have Congestive Heart Failure. Dementia had hit the part of the brain that controls the heart and lungs. IMO the heart just stopped.

Huh! I have no idea why I think up this stuff...but I do. Aren't you curious about how people come to conclusions? I'm always fascinated how people process information. Like Fawnby's description of cause of death as murky. Maybe just too much time on my hands 👐

I know two people who have died in the past year who had Covid. (Well, actually more than two, but these cases are pertinent to this discussion.)

One was in the hospital for a couple of weeks due to Covid and got sepsis as a result of Covid. The cause of death was listed as sepsis, not Covid. But he wouldn't have had the sepsis if he hadn't had the Covid first.

Another got Covid, couldn't breathe, went to the hospital and was on a ventilator. He died. Cause of death was listed as coronary artery disease, not Covid.

I got this information from their spouses.

So I find cause of death determinations murky, to say the least.

Depends on what the autopsy shows. Cause of death should be specific. For instance all medical conditions would be listed, but then the specific cause of death, IF due to fall might read as "subdural hemorrhage due to blow to head"; proof would then need to be ascertained as to whether or not head was struck during this fall. ER notes should show that.

The CAUSE of death isn't hard to identify on autopsy, but WHY or how it occurred is. For instance abdominal hemorrhage due to bleeding ulcer could cause a fall, but the death would be due to the former. Or syncope and low blood pressure could cause a fall, but the death would likely be from the low blood pressure if no serious and death-causing injury was found.

This is really a medical question and I would ask the doctor.
And an autopsy is CRUCIAL.