Handling a Loved One’s Last Hours
Before some funerals at funeral homes in Solvay, NY, family members may be able to spend time with their loved ones as they are dying. The end of a life can be hard for everyone to navigate through. Loved ones who are dying may be restless and anxious or quiet and unresponsive. Family members may be unsure what their loved ones need or what they are supposed to do.
When your loved one reaches the last hours of their lives, you can help them in ways you may not be aware of.
The first thing is not to try to force feed a dying loved one. When your loved one reaches the last few days of their life, they will reject all food either by shaking their heads, by clinching their death, or by turning away.
As the body begins its final shutdown, the requirement for the nourishment of food progressively lessens until the body no longer needs it. Trying to force food on someone who doesn’t want it or need it can be quite upsetting.
Your loved one may stop drinking any liquids at the same time they stop eating or they may stop drinking anything after they stop eating. Don’t try to force them to drink anything if they don’t want it. Instead, keep your loved one’s mouth moistened by giving them small ice chips or by using a small sponge that’s soaked with water. You can keep their lips moistened by applying lip balm.
Pain is often a factor when your loved one is dying. Hospice will guide you in what comfort care medications and how often you should give to your loved one. Be diligent about following their instructions because you don’t want your loved one to be in any pain as they exit life.
Hearing is the last sense to go when a loved one is dying, so sit with them and talk with them. Hold their hand, rub their arm, or caress their head, and let them know that you love them and you are with them. Even if your loved one is unresponsive, you may see breathing changes when you talk about something that’s important to them.
Since hearing is still very much intact up to the very last breath, it’s important to have things quiet and peaceful in the hours before your loved one dies. Loud noises will disturb them and will disrupt the calm of the dying process.
Above all, do not argue with other family members around your loved one. This will create distress and discomfort for your loved one. Your loved one’s dying is about them. It is not about you and the rest of the family. Respect the dying process.
Prepare for the sound and the look of your loved one’s death. Breathing changes will be the first thing you notice. Breathing may get raspy or it may get very soft. Breaths will be rapid and shallow.
In the minutes before your loved one dies you will notice a definitive change in the breathing pattern. Their mouth may open and close several times when this change happens.
Additionally, many people die with their eyes open. Just before death, the eyes may start tearing and appear glassy. This is not painful for your loved one, so don’t try to force their eyes closed and wipe the tearing away.
For information about planning funerals at funeral homes in Solvay, NY, our compassionate and experienced team at Bagozzi Twins Funeral Home, Inc. is here to help you.
