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RIP Gene Hackman, Dead at 95

So anyhoo, I read that Gene's pacemaker registered it's last activity (I didn't know they did that!) on Feb 17, nine days before the bodies were found.

An upstairs neighbor died in his apartment several years ago. No one knew for almost two weeks. I unfortunately have a good idea of the state of decomposition. That's a hell of a thing.
This is why I never want to live alone, I don't want to die alone and be left in my house or apartment with no one knowing for ages.
 
I read that Gene's pacemaker registered it's last activity (I didn't know they did that!)
My dad -- he's 83, and on his second -- has a pacemaker that does that. It connects to Wifi, it "phones home," and my parents will get phone calls when it doesn't.

This is why I never want to live alone, I don't want to die alone and be left in my house or apartment with no one knowing for ages.
My neighbors and I set up some systems to deal with that problem. The death ended up bringing us together as more of a community.

Steven, my neighbor, would probably have been noticed a few days earlier, but his immediate next door neighbor -- their doors were right next to each other -- was out of town on an extended business trip. Also, his apartment was sealed and the air conditioning was on, which limited odor leakage. When I got home from work the night they found him... Hooboy.
 
Yeah, if I did end up having no choice but to live alone, I would definitely set up some kind of system with a neighbor or one of my sisters. With my social anxiety I tend to not go out much, and don't socialize much so if I was alone I could easily see it being weeks or months before someone found me. The biggest possibility would be if I my work would call the cops for a well check if I stopped coming in or just write me off as deciding to just not come in anymore.
 
This is why I never want to live alone, I don't want to die alone and be left in my house or apartment with no one knowing for ages.
I've just come to peace with the fact that when I die, if it's in my sleep, or somewhere in my house; I may not be found for a week or more (as I have friends whom I routinely get together with at another location each weekend - so I no one would think to check until I miss one of those dates or don't respond to a phone call or text. )

Once I'm dead, it won't matter to me one way or the other as I won't be missing anything.:shrug:
 
Cause of death has been determined for both

The chief medical examiner in Santa Fe said the actor's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a rare lung infection known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome on Feb. 11.

The condition starts off with flu-like symptoms, but can lead to vomiting, abdominal pain and severe difficulty breathing.

The examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, said Hackman died as a result of heart disease and showed signs of advanced Alzheimer's disease. Based on pacemaker data, it's believed he died on Feb. 18 — seven days after his wife.

They don't say what killed the dog, but it was found in its crate so I'm guessing either hunger or thirst.
 
How did the dog die?

I heard the press conference on Sky News on YouTube but it cuts off before the vet came on to talk about the dog.
 
How did the dog die?

I heard the press conference on Sky News on YouTube but it cuts off before the vet came on to talk about the dog.
The dog was locked in its crate, so it most likely died of thirst. They didn't perform a necropsy on Zinna, the dog that died.

There were two other dogs on the property that survived and are now at a care facility.

 
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Seven days after his wife.... WIth his Alzheimer's, I dont even want to begin to think what that was like for him.

As someone else noted, that disease could have prevented him from fully comprehending what happened. I've witnessed this with a few older relatives and friends, and even when they were in Memory Care facilities receiving treatment and 'round-the-clock monitoring by nursing staff, what was happening within their minds--the compromising progression just could not be stopped or in some cases, recognized by those around them. Its a gnawing, miserable, obviously tragic situation for any person, one that still has no concrete solution.
 
As someone else noted, that disease could have prevented him from fully comprehending what happened. I've witnessed this with a few older relatives and friends, and even when they were in Memory Care facilities receiving treatment and 'round-the-clock monitoring by nursing staff, what was happening within their minds--the compromising progression just could not be stopped or in some cases, recognized by those around them. Its a gnawing, miserable, obviously tragic situation for any person, one that still has no concrete solution.

I know. As many others on this forum, I also saw this happen to people around me. And what is the most horrible thing of it all, unless one is truly in the final stages, are the lucid moments. When some form of comprehension is there. I saw my ex's grandmother suddenly break out in tears because for a small moment, she was aware what was happening to her. And then go back into her own mind.
It is the most awful thing to see happen to another person.
 
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