Hospice Nurse Discusses Three Deathbed Phenomenon Symptoms Shown by People Nearing Their End

Death is an inevitable phenomenon that scares most people in the world. Julie who goes by @hospicenursejulie on TikTok regularly shares content about the experience, to reduce the fear around it. In her job, she has noted many behavioral patterns amongst people close to death, that seem out of the ordinary. In one of her videos, she pointed out those patterns and backed them up by showing one of her patients going through them. Her family allowed Julie to use the footage of the woman's last moments, to increase awareness amongst people about the 'deathbed phenomenon.'

Deathbed Phenomenon

Julie in the video showcases some things people do when they are close to their death. The woman in the video is not an isolated case as Julie has noticed similar behavior in many cases.  "This is something we see a lot at the bedside. We're not sure why, but it does happen often," Julie explained. The hospice nurse further shares how these behavioral patterns, help families to let go of their loved ones. Julie as a professional, also has to keep an eye on these patterns, so that they don't go out of hand. 

Sudden waving

The first behavioral pattern Julie points out is of people suddenly waking up and beginning to wave at someone. The woman is shown opening her eyes and waving towards someone. There is no one in that direction, yet the woman continues waving and then closes her eyes. "Who knows what it could be and why it happens? All we know is that it does a lot, and it's comforting to the patient and their families," Julie points out. 

Reaching out to someone

Julie then goes on to talk about how people on their deathbed seem to be reaching out to someone or something. She further added, how individuals while reaching out are not dizzy, and hold what she calls a "death stare." The video shows the old woman extending her arms out for someone. Her loved ones do not know, who exactly she is trying to pull towards her. "Her loved one says, who is it? She tries to tell her, but you can tell that she can't quite get it out," Julie explained. The hospice nurse explained that oftentimes this behavioral pattern goes out of hand. There are situations where the patient gets agitated, as they are unable to get a hold of that particular person. In such cases, a nurse can medicate them. Julie states that such decisions are taken after a lot of consideration.

Moving to another plane

The last deathbed symptom Julie discusses is acceptance. In this case, the individual comes to terms with the fact that their time on the living plane is over. The video shows the old woman informing her daughter that she is ready to move on to heaven. The woman's daughter asked her from behind the camera, "I love you, mama. I love you. Are you ready to go to heaven, Mama?" The mother answered with a simple "Yes." Julie has observed many deathbed patients react similarly. The nurse describes the moment as emotional and beautiful. Julie ends the video by thanking the family for agreeing to share their loved one's last moments. "I hope you can learn a lot. And I hope this makes you feel a little less afraid," she said to the viewers. 

Responses

Several netizens shared their own experience in the comment section. @globetreater wrote about how their mother passed away, "My mom said 'it’s getting dark. Oh I see my husband and my Lord standing there and I’m going home' Then she passed." @ashleyrelocated also noted one of the deathbed symptoms in her father and commented, "My daddy in his last week or two, he reached out and said he saw my grandparents (his parents) and the names of those who passed on before him. He had a smile on his face when he said he saw 'mama.' "