At the end of life

Abstract

Most health professionals have never witnessed a "natural" death, and have no familiarity with the symptoms and signs that may occur in the final hours. At a critical time like this, whether the setting is in a hospital, at home, or in a nursing home, the dying patient and the caregivers deserve the reassurance of clear answers to commonly asked questions. The author details the signs to look for and the ways in which to deal with them during the last hours of a patient's life.