Man, like any other animal, is born, lives and dies: these are the three unchanging principles of existence on Earth. If we talk freely about birth and the very process of life, then, as a rule, we try to remain silent about death, usually out of fear.
People die for various reasons: some from infections, some due to serious injuries, as a result of an accident, some after a long illness. Regardless of the cause, people often experience the same physical conditions and reactions at the time of passing.
Our team has prepared extensive material on death from natural causes. In it we will tell you what processes occur in the body several weeks before death, what a person presumably feels when he dies, and how you can help a loved one in his last hours.
This material was based on Sophie Aubrey's article “What happens as we die?”, published on The Age.
What are the first signs that a person is dying?
The point of no return, when a person's condition begins to deteriorate before the last breath, can occur weeks or even months in advance.
Mark Bugey, director of palliative medicine at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, explains that the presence of “refractory signs” - symptoms that persist after treatment - is the first sign that a person is likely to die. These signs are: shortness of breath, excessive appetite, sudden weight loss, fluid retention, fatigue, drowsiness, delirium (mental disorder), jaundice, nausea, and decreased level of physical activity.
Photo: Dionne Gain
Simple actions, such as getting out of bed and walking to a chair, can be very tiring for a person who is dying. Such people, as a rule, cease to be interested in news and favorite activities, begin to talk less and sleep more. Scientists explain that all these conditions are associated with energy imbalance caused by deterioration of brain function and metabolic processes.
However, it is almost impossible to predict the exact moment of death; it depends on a number of factors: the presence of chronic diseases, the course of the disease, treatment methods.
Summarizing
Death is a physiological phenomenon that is characterized by the cessation of human life processes. When dying, each person feels differently, depending on his physiological characteristics and lived experience. Death may be clinical. It is characterized by cessation of heartbeat.
Causes of death can vary and vary depending on where the person lives and many other factors. There are many theories about life after death. A large number of films have been created to understand death as a phenomenon. There is no need to be afraid of death, you should enjoy every day!
Ask your question to granddaughter Anna here
What happens in the last days before death?
In the last days of life, a person feels more and more tired, his sleep and wakefulness patterns are disrupted, and swallowing and cough reflex slowdowns begin to occur, doctors say. People who are near death may respond poorly to being addressed or touched.
Decreased blood flow to the brain or a chemical imbalance in the brain can lead to disorientation, and the person begins to feel detached from reality. He often has visions or hallucinations.
“Two or three days before death, weakened people usually experience visions; patients begin to “see” their loved ones. Visions appear due to disturbances in the brain, says Bugey. “This may mean that the person will leave soon.” Bugey explains that hallucinations often help a person die peacefully, they serve as a consolation for him, so it is better not to try to remove them with medications.
Photo: Dionne Gain
Due to poor circulation, a person's body temperature may fluctuate, feeling cold to the touch at one point and feeling hot to the touch later. Another alarming signal of imminent death is a decrease in the sense of smell and a dulling of the sense of taste. People stop being interested in food and lose their appetite. As the muscles break down, incontinence may begin, and diapers and sheets can help relieve the discomfort.
If a pensioner dies
If the deceased was a pensioner, his relatives should contact the branch of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. Relatives of a deceased pensioner are entitled to a burial allowance (5,701 rubles), as well as an additional payment in the amount of 11,000 rubles. The deadline for applying for benefits is 6 months after the date of death.
The Trust funeral service will provide a full consultation and help the relative of a deceased pensioner receive payments. You can contact us by phone 8 (495) 128-30-45
When there are only a few hours or minutes left before death...
As death approaches, a person’s breathing often changes, sometimes slowing down, sometimes quickening, becoming noisy and shallow. These changes are caused by a decrease in blood flow, and, fortunately, they are not painful for the body.
Relaxation of the throat muscles can lead to hoarse breathing, sometimes called the “death rattle.”
“Discharge appears on the hypopharynx, and the body is no longer able to move it. At this time, the person’s wheezing resembles the gurgling of liquid,” says Bugey.
In the last hours of life, people who are unconscious may experience Cheyne-Stokes breathing - this is breathing that gradually becomes faster and deeper, and after 5-7 inhalations weakens and a pause occurs. Then the cycle is repeated in the same sequence and goes into the next respiratory pause. Arrhythmia appears, that is, the heart rate is disturbed, and the skin may become mottled or turn pale gray-blue, especially on the knees, feet and elbows.
Before death, a person begins to sweat heavily, his eyes may begin to water, and his gaze may become dull.
How long does it take for a person to die? It hurts?
Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of New South Wales Hospital, Ken Hillman, writes that the first question a patient asks a doctor is “how long do I have to live?”
“Even when the course of treatment is stopped, the body can “turn on” reserves that we did not know about. The patient may live another day, two, or even two weeks.”
The doctor emphasizes that death can be painless, it depends on the reasons that led to it. “You gradually lose consciousness, black out, and then just disappear,” Hillman explains.
If at the moment of death a person feels pain, then doctors alleviate his suffering with morphine.
Photo: Dionne Gain
As for the psychological perception of death, this is a difficult question for scientists. Some experts believe that a person begins to feel fear, panic and, as it were, tries to “resist an invisible enemy.” Others believe that in the last minutes a certain awareness comes to a person, a feeling of readiness may arise that allows one to “let go” of life.
“In my practice, I often saw a picture of how, before leaving, a person begins to “communicate” with his relatives, who in reality are not nearby. This “communication” helps him relax and then move away,” says Bugey.
Take care of a place in the cemetery
Frequently asked questions like “how to buy a place in a cemetery” or “how much does a place in a cemetery cost” are incorrect: the plot is given for an indefinite lease free of charge. Since the owner of the burial site still does not have the right to dispose of it at his own discretion, the plot, in fact, is not bought or sold.
With the question of registering a plot, we contact the cemetery administration - they issue an invoice for digging the grave and a passport for the future burial (a document that allows the person indicated in it to dispose of the plot - subburials and installation of ritual structures). The size of a standard grave is 200 cm by 180 cm; These calculations are used when, for example, setting prices for fences - if we have a non-standard burial, then we always keep our passport with us when deciding on the arrangement of the grave.
If we are talking about sub-burial in an existing grave, this issue is strictly dealt with by the owner of the burial passport. If you wish, you can try to quickly re-register the grave to another person if the person in charge no longer wants or is unable to deal with the site, and the new person in charge has no obstacles to this (more details in the article at the link).
Registering a burial and digging a grave costs approximately 10,000 rubles.
When should people not be buried (according to Christian tradition)? There is no clear answer to the question whether it is possible to bury on Easter or on an ordinary Sunday, although the church for the most part does not prevent this; Funerals are definitely prohibited on major church holidays.
How can you help a loved one in his last hours?
Research shows that hearing is the last sense that leaves a person when he dies. Even when a dying person loses consciousness and loses consciousness, the brain can continue to respond to sounds - right up to the last hours.
That's why many doctors encourage people to continue talking to the person as they leave, as this can bring them comfort, even if they don't seem to be responding.
“In addition to communicating, you can play the person his favorite music, share memories, moisten his mouth if it becomes dry, cover him with a light blanket, keep the air in the room fresh, change the position of the pillow. These may seem like very simple gestures of attention, but their importance should not be underestimated,” explains Professor Hillman.
Moment of death
In Russia, the moment of death is determined by Federal Law dated November 21, 2011 N 323-FZ (as amended on July 31, 2020) “On the fundamentals of protecting the health of citizens in the Russian Federation.” According to this law, death occurs when the brain dies or the biological death of a person occurs.
Brain death occurs when all brain functions cease completely and irreversibly. Biological death is when physiological processes in cells and tissues cease irreversibly. Only a medical professional can confirm biological death.
Photo: Dionne Gain
Doctors describe four stages of dying: pre-agony, agony, clinical death and biological.
Preagonia is a condition in which blood pressure is greatly reduced, consciousness and breathing are impaired. a terminal pause appears - breathing stops, the pupil's reaction to light disappears, the pupils dilate.
Then agony develops. One of its clinical signs is breathing, which manifests itself in the form of weak, rare short and deep convulsive respiratory movements. The agony turns into clinical death.
Clinical death is a condition in which a person loses consciousness and stops breathing on their own. The pulse stops and pallor appears. During clinical death, it is still possible to save a person using resuscitation.
If resuscitation methods do not help, biological death , which is expressed by post-mortem irreversible changes in all organs and systems. Signs of biological death: no consciousness, breathing, pulse, blood pressure, maximum pupil dilation, decreased body temperature, appearance of cadaveric spots on the body.
However, after stage 4 the brain is still active. Not only does it not die along with the heart, but, on the contrary, it begins to work at double speed. The release of dopamine, a pleasure hormone that plays an important role in the reinforcement system and cognitive processes, increases almost 12 times. So people probably have a feeling of peace on the one hand, and on the other hand a feeling that they are thinking very quickly.
“When the body's circulation stops, brain cells can survive for another minute or two,” explains Matthew Anstey, senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia. “There are suggestions that after biological death, that is, when the brain is still active, a person may be conscious.”
According to Dr. Anstey, cells in other organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are comparatively more resilient and can live longer without oxygen. These organs can remain viable several hours after death, which is very important for donation.
Where to go and call if a person has died?
City Funeral Service is a professional in organizing funerals and farewell ceremonies. We have conducted a large number of funerals of various religious canons, the number of participants. The accumulated experience allows us to fully cope with funerals and farewell ceremonies of any complexity. Our funeral agents include the best specialists in Moscow and the region in their field.
By contacting us, you will protect yourself from black agents, fraudulent schemes and unforeseen difficulties that you may encounter when organizing a funeral. We will completely take care of delivering the body to the morgue, collecting and receiving documents, helping to process payments due to relatives, selecting a cemetery and method of burial, offering a huge range of funeral accessories, organizing funerals and related mourning ceremonies.
Our funeral agents begin working immediately after your call. You can contact us 24 hours a day by calling 8
