What Happens When a Person is Dying?

Before Tallahassee cremation services, you may have a loved one who is dying from a chronic illness or a terminal illness. It can be helpful to understand what the general stages of the dying process are so that you can be there for our your loved one all the way through to their last breath.

Although there can be some variations, the following stages of dying are experienced by the vast majority of terminally ill patients. If you familiarize yourself these stages, you’ll be able to recognize them, understand them, and then help your loved one as they make their way through each stage. Rather than viewing this progression of death as something unusual or even fearful, you will be able to see it as a normal and natural process instead.

The first stage of dying that you will observe in your loved one is their gradual withdrawal from the world around them. During this stage, your loved one slowly becomes less interested in the outside world and the things and people it contains.

You will notice this happening even with things that may have previously given your loved one great pleasure or may have been very important in their life. This slow disengagement by your loved one is not something to be alarmed by.

Instead, this withdrawal is a sign that your loved one is becoming more introspective and attentive to things inside themselves. This disconnection by your loved one is a natural part of the journey they must travel to accept death and be at peace with death.

In the next stage of the dying process, your loved one will begin to lose interest in eating or drinking anything. Although at first it can be troubling or even somewhat sad to witness, it’s important to remember that this, too, is a normal. As your loved one begins dying, they no longer need the fuel for energy that they did when they were still more active.

In this stage, your loved one will feel less uncomfortable and less distressed if you do not try to cajole or force them to eat or drink. At this late stage, doing this is not only unnecessary, but it also can create pain for your loved one.

The lowered intake of food and fluids will result in physical changes in how your loved one processes the output of waste. For example, urine will appear darker or cloudy, or your loved one may become experience bladder and bowel incontinence.

When this happens, keep in mind that this is very common in this stage of dying. If your loved one is embarrassed about their incontinence, you can comfort and reassure them that this, too, is merely a natural part of the dying process.

During the next stage of dying, your loved one may begin talking about visions they are seeing or conversations they are having with people who aren’t there. Many times, the people they are seeing or talking with are important people in their lives who have already died.

Your loved one may talk about taking trips and may even invite you to go with them or ask you to help them get to their destination. Listen carefully and converse with your loved one about the trips they want to take, because this is often a sign that death is close (with a matter of days or a week or so).

During the final stages of dying, your loved one will begin to lose color or appear “bruised” as circulation slows and the extremities cool. They may be mostly unresponsive, except to your voice or to the mention of something important to them.

Near the end of the dying process, your loved one’s breathing will become irregular and increasingly shallow. This may last for a day or two or for a few hours. At the very end of the dying process, your loved one’s breathing slows – and its rhythm may suddenly change – until it stops altogether, and a pulse is no longer discernible.

If you want to know about the full range of Tallahassee cremation services, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help.