7 signs that a person may be nearing the end of life
When someone has an advanced, life-limiting illness, certain changes commonly occur during the last days or hours of life. They don’t appear in everyone, and a single symptom cannot reliably predict when death will occur.
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Sleeping much more — The person may become increasingly drowsy and spend much of the day asleep.
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Eating and drinking less — Appetite and thirst commonly decline as the body slows down. Don’t force food or fluids.
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Changes in breathing — Breathing may become irregular, with periods of very shallow breathing or pauses. Noisy breathing from pooled secretions can also occur.
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Cooler or mottled hands and feet — Circulation slows, causing extremities to become cool and sometimes bluish or blotchy.
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Less urine — Urine production often decreases as kidney function and fluid intake decline.
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Increasing confusion or reduced responsiveness — A person may become less able to communicate or may drift in and out of awareness.
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Changes in blood pressure and pulse — Blood pressure may fall and the pulse can become weaker or irregular.
How to cope and help
The priority is comfort rather than forcing normal eating, drinking, or activity. Keep the person comfortable, speak calmly, provide gentle mouth and lip care, reposition them when appropriate, and allow them to rest. Even when someone is no longer responding, hearing may remain, so talking gently and reassuringly can be comforting.
A hospice or palliative-care team can provide medications and other measures to relieve pain, breathlessness, anxiety, agitation, and other distressing symptoms.
If these changes are occurring in someone who isn’t known to be approaching the end of life, don’t assume death is near. Confusion, breathing changes, dehydration, infection, and other treatable conditions can produce similar symptoms and require medical assessment.
If you tell me whether this is about someone currently receiving hospice/palliative care or someone who has suddenly become unwell, I can explain what to do next.
