Words of encouragement in the last minutes of a loved one’s life mean a lot to those who stay. When bedside vigils are perceived to come to an end, holding hands, or simply speaking to the fading person becomes an act of healing and calm, even if the patient is unable to respond.
But, do dying people listen to us? Do they feel or perceive what we say? According to researchers from the University of British Columbia, people who are close to death can still hear.
After spending about three years trying to study the minds of terminally ill patients, experimental psychologist Lawrence Ward and psychologist Elizabeth Blundon had access to monitor the minds of dying people for the first time. The purpose was to provide answers about what happens in the mind shortly before dying.
“The questions are always ‘can my loved one hear me? I’m sitting here telling them how much I love them, is something wrong with them? Does it comfort them?’” Says Ward.
For the psychologists, to be able to give answers they had to have the consent of the patients. The latter ones couldn’t be agitated or in a state of dementia. Fortunately, 13 people agreed to be tested on their deathbeds. According to Ward, these people are “just amazing people, because they gave us a gift that only they could give.”
How people listen to us even when close to death
The study included the analysis of the last 12 to 24 hours of life; it even was possible to study a patient just six hours before dying. Headphones were placed on unresponsive patients. A series of five tones were played to them, and it would then be revealed whether the brain was capable of registering activity corresponding to language comprehension.
Shortly after, it was learned that it was true. The authors were able to show that five patients who completed the study without any setback showed evidence of understanding what they heard, even though they could not respond or react.
“Hearing is one of the last senses to lose function when a person is dying, and it lends some credibility to the advice that loved ones should continue to speak with a family member who is near death whenever possible.” – Lawrence Ward
Regardless of the answer, we know that love for a family member will always be intact. Death may come, but company and affection always remain in thought. Now, it is a fact that, even though death is near, people can feel and hear us.
Text and photos courtesy of Ecoosfera
