Question
What is the last sense to go, when a person is dying?
Answer
Dear Latoya,<BR><BR>Thank you for sending your question to AskNSDL. I found many resources by searching the Web, and the general consensus is that hearing is the last sense to go when a person is dying. This fact was stressed - even though the patient may appear unconscious or be in a coma, he or she may still hear what is being said.<BR><BR>I searched Google, <A href=http://www.google.com">http://www.google.com</A>, on the following terms: dying care "last sense".<BR><BR>* Pitorak, Elizabeth Ford. "Care at the Time of Death," American Journal of Nursing, July 2003, Volume 103, Number 7, pages 42-52. This article is currently available in full text by following the link below. The section, "The Death Vigil" states: " It's generally believed that hearing is the last sense to leave the body, so one should never say anything near the patient that one would not want him to hear. "<BR><A href=http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=416664#115">http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=416664#115</A><BR><BR>* Kokua Mau, an partnership of the Hawaii Executive Office on Aging, Hawaiian Islands Hospice Organization, and the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine Center on Aging, provides answers on care during the last stages of life. The last topic, "Saying Goodbye," states that hearing is the last sense to go and to "assume that everything you say can be heard and understood...."<BR><A href=http://www.kokuamau.org/laststages/">http://www.kokuamau.org/laststages/</A><BR><BR>* "Terminal Care" - The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia provides this information. Look under "Restlessness and Agitation."<BR><A href=http://www.rch.org.au/rch_palliative/prof/index.cfm?doc_id=1679#Restlessness_and_agitation">http://www.rch.org.au/rch_palliative/prof/index.cfm?doc_id=1679#Restlessness_and_agitation</A><BR><BR>* "End of Life Care" from Nursing Assistant Education,<BR><A href=http://www.nursingassistanteducation.com/site/courses/eng/nae-eolc-eng.php">http://www.nursingassistanteducation.com/site/courses/eng/nae-eolc-eng.php</A><BR><BR>I retrieved over 500 results from my Internet search. Please repeat the search if you need more resources. <BR><BR>I hope this material was helpful. Your local library or health provider can also be good sources of information on this topic.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>Joyce W.<BR>AskNSDL staff<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
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http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=416664#115
http://www.kokuamau.org/laststages/
http://www.rch.org.au/rch_palliative/prof/index.cfm?doc_id=1679#Restlessness_and_agitation
http://www.nursingassistanteducation.com/site/courses/eng/nae-eolc-eng.php
<P>care death dying hearing "last sense"</P>
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