Hospice nurse says all patients make same move moments before they die
Moments before death, patients go through the change from life to the afterlife, and as this transition happens, they display some common signs.
Neal K Shah, a hospice nurse, regularly posts videos online where he explains the dying process, and according to him there are ‘patterns’.
Calling hospice nurses the most ‘experienced observers’ of seeing people pass away, Shah explained that this means they come to learn the signs pretty quickly.
But if you’re looking to learn about just one symptom that death is near, he says there are a few things that occur.
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When that happens, death might be minutes away.
He explained that there is a ‘consistency’ that people see in patients, such as something called ‘settling’.
The expert went on to say that those who have been tight and tense, bunched up and taut, suddenly become more relaxed, like they finally ‘settle’ and calm prior to death.
Even their breathing ‘shifts into something more deliberate’ as the calm overcomes them like ‘a wave’.
But that’s not all. In some cases, nurses report a patient who has been ‘largely unresponsive’, are then engaged, active and able to communicate.
Or, they might turn towards a ‘presence’ in the room, or even see loved ones who had passed away long ago.
Shah explained that sometimes the nurses see an expression on their faces that is hard to put into ‘clinical’ terms as they go through these final moments.
When it comes to those who become alert after being unresponsive, this is widely known as the ‘surge’.
This is something Julie McFadden, a palliative and intensive care nurse in Los Angeles, has spoken about experiencing too.
Also known in the medical world as ‘the rally’, Julie explained to her followers: "Here's one phenomenon that happens during the death and dying process that medical professionals, like myself, cannot explain.
"This is when someone is really sick and almost towards actively dying, meaning dying within a few days, and then suddenly they look like they are 'better'.
"This can manifest in different ways but a lot of times they suddenly will eat, they'll suddenly talk, maybe even walk, they act like their old selves.
“They have a little more of a personality, kind of laughing, talking joking but then usually they die within a few days after this, sometimes even that night and it happens to probably a third of our hospice patients, so it happens quite a bit.
“We try to educate the family about this before it happens so it doesn't devastate them when they suddenly pass after doing so well for a few days."
According to her, what Shah describes in his video, is also what Julie has seen.
But Shah also explains that one of the last senses to go during the death process is hearing.
So, if you see a loved one passing on, it’s your chance to give them any last words.
Topics: Health
Britt Jones