The Hospice Foundation of America has outlined some key signs that a person is approaching the end of their life. One of the end signs a person could be nearing the end is changes to their knees, feet, and hands. The skin on these areas can become purple, pale, grey, blotchy, or even mottled, which usually signals that death will occur within days to hours.
The Hospice Foundation of America explained that skin is an organ and, like other organs, it begins to stop functioning near the end of life. Knowing these symptoms can help loved ones prepare to provide comfort and ease the pain of the person nearing the end of their life. Additionally, people can experience a loss of appetite and thirst and ever decreasing levels of activity.
Other signs include a loss of interest in their surroundings, periods of restlessness, and changes in the way they breathe. Hearing and touch are believed to be the final two senses a person loses when they are close to death. Therefore, it can be a real comfort to have loved ones around them, speaking to them and holding them.
The Hospice Foundation of America recommends that the goal for the care of wounds is to utilize pain medication to keep the person comfortable, attempt to prevent the wounds from worsening, and keep them clean and free from infections, rather than attempting to heal them with aggressive and possibly painful intervention or treatment
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