A sign of deteriorating health is finding unexplained burns, bruises, or cuts on your father. They could be falling without telling you or remembering it. Another sign that the participants observed during the last few days before death was that the breathing pattern had changed. An older person's breathing may become slower, irregular, shallow, and wheezing.
In addition, it was mentioned that the elderly person could hold their breath for a long time, which the participants described as frustrating because it was believed that each breath was the last. This process could continue for a while until death occurred. It was clear from the interviews that death was seen as an event and not as a process, meaning that it was limited to the last days or weeks of the elderly person's life. A person living with Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia may experience changes in their ability to hold or follow a conversation. The fact that the elderly person weakens and has a greater tendency to fall and could be seen as an early sign before dying was discussed.
If the person also has another life-limiting condition (such as cancer or heart failure), it may be clearer how long they will live and how they will die. It has been found that older people in nursing homes receive far less palliative care than younger people, in part because it's difficult to identify when the final stage of life begins. Identification can help staff allow older people and their families to participate in planning care in accordance with their own preferences and values. Another sign was that the elderly person developed the need to live their life, from childhood to the present.
At this stage, when the elderly person cannot be contacted, the deterioration that led to death was often relatively rapid. Once an older person becomes bedridden, it doesn't take long before their consciousness begins to deteriorate and they lose consciousness. The topic “From Ignorance to Obviousness” describes the general way in which participants identify the early and late signs that precede death among older people in nursing homes. (see the table).
At the end of their lives, older people stopped eating and drinking, which, according to the participants, is a late sign of death. One of the first signs mentioned by staff was that the older person felt a greater need to go through their life, from childhood to the present, and talk about their past experiences. If a person with dementia has most or all of these symptoms, they are probably nearing the end of their life. An early sign that participants identified themselves in different ways among older people was resignation, e.The participants pointed out that, at the end of life, the elderly person begins to sleep more and more and eventually loses consciousness; and when this happens, it is a clear late sign that precedes death.
