Illinois - Death and Health

In 2000, infant mortality was 8.5 per 1,000 live births. Nationally, Illinois ranked 8th in infant mortality in 2000; the national rate was 6.9. Although the infant mortality rate fell from 21.5 in 1970 to 13.9 in 1981 to 10.7 in 1991, it did not decline as rapidly as elsewhere. Since the late 1960s, Illinois has had a slightly higher infant mortality rate than the rest of the country; the 1993–94 rate was the 5th highest among the states while the 1996 rate ranked 9th highest. The number of legal abortions performed in 1999 was 45,924, down from 72,000 in 1977.

Illinois's death rate, 875.1 per 100,000 residents, was slightly higher than the national rate of 873.1 in 2000. At that time Illinois also ranked above the national averages in deaths due to heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, but below the averages in accidents and adverse effects and suicide. Major public health problems in the 1980s included rapidly increasing rates of venereal disease and drug abuse. Alcoholism has always been a major problem in Illinois. The state also has a high proportion of residents receiving psychiatric care. In 1995, there were 35.3 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 women, 4th-highest among the states. In 2000, 22.3% of the adults 18 years of age and older in Illinois were smokers. The rate of HIV-related deaths stood at 3.9 per 100,000 population, slightly below the national average of 5.3 in 2000. There were 26,319 AIDS cases reported through 2001.

Hospitals abound in Illinois, with Chicago serving as a diagnostic and treatment center for patients throughout the Midwest. With 192 community facilities (many quite large) and 36,834 beds, Illinois hospitals recorded 1,559,357 admissions in 2001. In the same year, total full-time personnel numbered 190,746, including 44,900 full-time registered nurses and 3,339 full-time licensed practical nurses. In 2000, the state had 285 physicians per 100,000 population. The average expense to hospitals for care provided in 2001 was $1,446.50 per inpatient day.

Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $4.4 billion; 1,639,986 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 13.6% of adult residents had no insurance in 2002.

Death Rates in Illinois: Top 10 Causes

Heart disease and cancer kill half of the 100,000 people (give or take a few thousand) who die in Illinois every year. But the state lags in dealing with these medical conditions.

We’re No. 31 in the nation when it comes to the rate at which people perish from the two blockbuster illnesses, according to data published recently by National Center for Health Statistics.

A bunch of Southern states, a few on the East Coast, and several Midwestern neighbors bring up the bottom.

The gap between below- and above-average performers isn’t trivial; it affects whether people live or die . In No. 1 ranked Minnesota, age-adjusted fatalities from heart disease were 141.5 per 100,000 people, compared with 214.3 in Illinois. For cancer, No. 1 ranked Utah’s death rate was 139.4; ours was 190.1.

Of course, how many people succumb to illness in any area depends on many factors, including consumers’ lifestyles and health habits, access to medical care, genetics, poverty, the environment, demographic trends, and more. Some of the spread between Illinois and top-rated states can be explained by these variables.

But there’s plenty of room for action. The things that make us vulnerable to illness—known as “risk factors”—can be mitigated if doctors focus on prevention, if people eat well and exercise, if public health programs are effective, and if good medical services are readily available, research shows.

To save lives, Illinois needs to make a concerted push to do better in all those areas, experts suggest.

Asked for a response, the Illinois Department of Public Health sent along a long list of programs.  With a few exceptions, there’s no information on what impact these programs have had  (is this being measured?) or where they’re available (what was the department thinking?).  You’ll find an abridged list at the end of this posting.

Back to the government’s “cause of death” data, I spotted a question that deserves some scrutiny: Why do Illinois patients die of septicemia, a frequently fatal blood infection, five times more often than those in California? (Illinois’ rate is 11th worst in the nation.)  Does anyone have an answer?

Looking at state-by-state rankings, Illinois would also do well to focus on kidney disease, which my colleague Deborah L. Shelton spotlighted recently in a front-page report. The state’s death rate is 13th highest in the country.

For those of you who like the raw numbers, here’s the top 10 causes of the 103,654 deaths in Illinois in 2005, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available:

1. Heart disease: 28,226.

2. Cancer: 24,250.

3. Stroke: 6,252.

4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 5,067.

5. Accidents/unintentional injuries: 4,182.

6. Diabetes: 3,034.

7. Alzheimer’s disease: 2,827.

8. Influenza/pneumonia: 2,949.

9. Kidney disease: 2,402.

10. Septicemia: 1,943.

Grief - A Perspective

Grief is a bereaved person’s internal emotional response to the loss event. It has several components: physical, behavioral, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. It is often described by those that have gone through it as a heaviness that isn’t easily lifted. It can sometimes be so pronounced that it affects a person’s physical self and can even mimic illnesses. While grief is an expected and normal response to loss, severe or prolonged grief can cause problems. So what's normal and what's not?

Normal Grief

Normal grief is found in the majority of survivors. It describes grief that is eventually lessened as a person readjusts to their loss. This is done with support as one moves through the four phases and the four tasks of the grief process. Grief is usually not something one “recovers” from because the loss is never regained or replaced. A grieving individual doesn’t return to the person they were before the loss; rather they usually describe their lives after loss as “different”. For some, it changes their entire identity and they will divide their lives into “before” the loss and “after” the loss.

The Four Phases of Grief

The stages of grief can be divided into four distinct phases:

1. Numbness – This is the phase immediately following a loss. The grieving person feels numb, which is a defense mechanism that allows them to survive emotionally.
2. Searching and Yearning – This can also be referred to as pining and is characterized by the grieving person longing or yearning for the deceased to return. Many emotions are expressed during this time and may include weeping, anger, anxiety, and confusion.
3. Disorganization and Despair – The grieving person now desired to withdraw and disengage from others and activities they regularly enjoyed. Feelings of pining and yearning become less intense while periods of apathy, meaning an absence of emotion, and despair increase.
4.  Reorganization and Recovery – In this final phase, the grieving person begins to return to a new state of “normal”. Weight loss experienced during intense grieving may be regained, energy levels increase, and an interest to return to activities of enjoyment returns. Grief never ends but thoughts of sadness and despair are diminished while positive memories of the deceased take over.

Because everyone grieves in their own way at their own pace, there is no timeline that these phases are supposed to be completed in. Receiving bereavement counseling and joining bereavement support groups can help the grieving individual move through the phases fluidly. 

Mexican Burial Customs

In Mexico, people are buried in coffins in the ground. The Mexicans also have a holiday that is similar to Halloween, and it is called the Day of the Dead. However, the Day of the Dead is not only one day, but many. It lasts from mid-October through the first week of November. Day of the Dead is celebrated like Halloween, and the people welcome the spirits of the dead with open arms, for this is the holiday in which the spirits can pay a visit to home. 
 

To prepare for this visit, many households start off by setting up an alter, and decorating it with flowers, candles, candy, food, drink and more. Naturally, when the spirit visits, it has to wash up before it eats, so a hand basin and wash towel is included. Day of the Dead is a holiday that many people enjoy and value annually.

Hawaiian Burial Customs

In Hawaii, death is not something to take lightly. The death of a king, queen or high chief is no exception. In fact, the death of a king, queen or high chief is a great time of mourning to the people. The people who knew the people the most are the people who mourn the greatest. They weep, mourn, cut their hair, knock out teeth, scar their skin, and sometimes even cut off one of their ears. William Ellis, a reverend in the 1800s, saw a queen in great pain while having her tongue tattooed with a black line after her husband died. When he asked her about it, she said that it hurt, but the pain of her grief was greater than that could ever be.

It was believed that the iwi, or bones held great power, and benefited whoever possessed them. The skull, leg, and occasionally arm bones were especially hidden, guarded and preserved. 

Burial caves are found all over Hawaii, with men, women and small children buried in the sand dunes. Many caves however, had already been found and raided.  

After the 1990s, which is when President Bush created and signed the Native American Grave Protection, which protects Native American burial sites. That group is called the Hui Malama. The Hui Malama transports bones under the cover of night, and utmost secrecy. When someone important dies, their grave is surrounded with either rocks or high poles. Common people were buried in natural tombs, like caves or hollows. 

Interesting Funeral Facts Part 1

Flowers placed at the grave were originally brought to promote good will with the spirit of the deceased.

The tradition of playing loud music at an Irish wake originated with the belief that it would ward off evil spirits. The wake also presented an opportunity to watch over the deceased to see if he/she would awaken.

Approximately 6,400 burials are conducted annually at Arlington National Cemetery, which is an average of about 28 burials are performed each day.

Interesting Funeral Facts Part 2

A properly folded military flag shows 4 stars, one each to represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

Taberger’s safety coffin was developed in 1829. It included a bell to ring that would alert the graveyard workers if they were being buried alive.

Prior to the 20th century, some European families would hire professional mourners to either look sad or wail.

Elephants and chimpanzees both have been known to bury their dead, by throwing leaves and branches over the deceased members of their families.

An odd spot to have a cemetery, an apartment building’s parking lot in Hattiesburg, Mississippi has a small cemetery.

Are Funeral Expenses Tax Deductible?

If you have paid for a loved one’s burial you may need to know, ‘Are funeral expenses tax deductible?’ These costs can be deducted from your tax liability but you must know the appropriate way to file for this deduction. There appears to be a lot of misunderstanding about where the funeral deductions should be placed on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms. You must file the deduction legitimately in order to receive the credit. It is important to keep all the receipts associated with the final expense payments when you plan on taking the IRS deduction. Let’s look at some of the incorrect places this deduction is listed, then we will discuss the right way to file.

The appropriate place to put funeral expenses is with the estate tax deduction. The IRS states that an estate will owe taxes to the federal government if the assets value is greater than $3.5 million. Allowable deductions can be taken from the estate total before calculating the value limit of the IRS code. These figures can change often, so you should check with an estate planner or income tax preparer to determine your specific liability. When leaving the entire estate to a spouse the IRS will not require tax payment on the assets. When the estate is left to children, then the IRS requires a tax payment.

Some of the allowable deductions subtracted from the value of the estate are those for funeral costs. The cost of a funeral is between $3,000 and $10,000 for the average person. The costs can escalate several times higher when paying for specialized funeral services. All these expenses can be deducted from the total value of the estate and the asset values will be lowered.

Filing Tax Returns for a Deceased Person

In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires both an individual tax return and an estate tax return for persons who died within that calendar year.

The date of a person’s death determines when his individual tax liability becomes the liability of his estate. Until his estate is settled in the probate courts (if necessary) or otherwise distributed, all income generated must be reported to the IRS.

A legal representative such as an executor or administrator is responsible for filing all the required tax returns. A surviving spouse can file a joint return for the year of death if no executor or administrator has been appointed, and if the deceased had not already filed a separate return. A surviving spouse cannot file a joint return if he has remarried before the end of that calendar year or was a nonresident alien at any time during the tax year.

An administrator or executor can revoke a joint return by filing a separate return for the deceased. If a joint return is filed by a surviving spouse and the estate cannot pay its share of the tax liability, the full amount must be paid by the spouse. Surviving spouses who are also executors must sign the return twice, once as executor and once as surviving spouse.

Talking To A Child About Death

If you are concerned about discussing death with your children, you’re not alone. Many of us hesitate to talk about death, particularly with youngsters. But death is an inescapable fact of life. We must deal with it and so must our children; if we are to help them, we must let them know it’s okay to talk about it.

By talking to our children about death, we may discover what they know and do not know - if they have misconceptions, fears, or worries. We can then help them by providing needed information, comfort, and understanding. Talk does not solve all problems, but without talk we are even more limited in our ability to help.

What we say about death to our children, or when we say it, will depend on their ages and experiences. It will also depend on our own experiences, beliefs, feelings, and the situations we find ourselves in, for each situation we face is somewhat different. Some discussions about death may be stimulated by a news report or a television program and take place in a relatively unemotional atmosphere; other talks may result from a family crisis and be charged with emotions.

Long before we realize it, children become aware of death. They see dead birds, insects, and animals lying by the road. They may see death at least once a day on television. They hear about it in fairy tales and act it out in their play. Death is a part of life, and children, at some level, are aware of it.

Religion is a prime source of strength and sustenance to many people when they are dealing with death. But if religion has not played an important role in a family’s life before death, a child may be confused or frightened by the sudden introduction of religious explanations or references. Children tend to hear words literally, and religious explanations that may comfort an adult may unsettle a child. For example, the explanation, “Baby brother is with God now,” or “It is God’s will,” could be frightening rather than reassuring to the young child who may worry that God might decide to come and get her just as He did baby brother.

Should A Child Attend A Funeral?

Decisions like these have to do with both what is practiced in your family's culture and also your particular child's level of development and temperament. There is no "one right answer." It is important, in considering what to do, to take into account a five year old's capacity to understand death. Here are some things to consider:.

A five-year-old child can't fully comprehend death. She may be able to understand that the person isn't going to be here any more, but she will probably have a much harder time imaging why that might be the case. A common explanation young children come up with is that the dead person does exist somewhere else, like in heaven, in the cemetery, or somewhere far away you could reach by airplane.

What impacts young children most pay when someone dies is the behavior and feelings of the people around them. It is from these responses that children come to understand that death is very important, sad and significantly different from most other events in life. Knowing that children are learning from us during this process can be a motivating force for us to get the support necessary to go through the grief process in healthy ways.

It may be helpful for children to see adults cry. It can be overwhelming for children, however, if adults do all of their grieving in front of their children. It is useful for adults to regularly take private time, time to deal with their own grief. This will enable them to be supportive of their children's feelings during the process.

Saving Heartache and Headache

Choosing a funeral home is a decision that many families face at some point for their own pre-arrangements or on behalf of deceased family members.  It can be a very emotional process because choosing a funeral home often provides the final closure for those left behind. When loved ones are in a state of shock and grieving, the task can become even more challenging.

To save heartache and headache, and to make more financially sound vs. emotionally driven decisions, it is smart to learn about processes and options before you or your family actually needs to research and choose a funeral home. Armed with the right knowledge, the experience can be actually a positive one.

The funeral home industry is highly regulated by federal, state, and local laws in order to keep consumers safe. Overall, consumers are protected by The Funeral Rule -- which is enforced by the FTC. It requires, among other things, that providers clearly itemize prices. They must also furnish written price lists to customers inquiring about services in person or over the phone.

Many providers offer package deals, but it is important to note that you have the right to buy individual services. When choosing a provider, request an itemized list and choose the individual services that you need.

Choosing a Funeral Home

A funeral director will be closely involved with helping your family through very difficult times. Therefore, the selection of a funeral home and funeral director is an important task.

It is important that you feel comfortable with and trust the funeral home and funeral director you choose. Your funeral director will help you understand the questions you should ask, the options you have, and allow you to make the best choices for you and your family.  Most people choose a funeral director for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Reputation
2. Previous experience with a funeral home or funeral director 
3. Recommendations from others you trust
4. Knowledge of the funeral home and its ownership
5. Appearance and location of the funeral home
6. Options available
7. Cost