A seasoned hospice nurse sheds light on the natural process of death, emphasizing that it should not be feared as it is a common occurrence. With two decades of experience, Penny Hawkins Smith, aged 62, has been present at numerous individuals’ final moments.
According to Penny, during the stages leading to death, individuals tend to sleep more, gradually entering a responsive state before transitioning into what she terms a ‘death coma.’ She notes that nearing the end, individuals often have visions and speak about embarking on a journey, finding solace in these experiences.
In her role as a hospice quality assurance nurse, Penny challenges the prevailing notion that death is a failure, attributing this perspective to societal taboos and lack of open dialogue. She stresses the importance of educating families and destigmatizing death, emphasizing that it is an inevitable part of life that everyone will face.
Over her extensive career, Penny has focused on normalizing the end-of-life process for both patients and their families. She highlights the significance of clarifying expectations and ensuring that individuals understand the natural progression of death, alleviating unnecessary anxieties.
Penny mentions that as individuals approach death, they may encounter phenomena such as visions and expressions of a desire for travel. She explains that these experiences are part of the psychological and biological changes that occur during this transition.
Each death, according to Penny, is unique, yet those experiencing a terminal illness and undergoing a natural death tend to follow a similar trajectory. She outlines the typical signs observed in individuals nearing the end of life, emphasizing that the process usually involves increased sleep, followed by a state of unresponsiveness leading to death.
In summary, Penny advocates for a more open and accepting approach to discussing death, emphasizing the naturalness and individuality of the dying process.