A serious question...

[Pea-n-Me]

To answer the question, yes, I would. I have also been that person many times, as a nurse. Sometimes I've just come on shift and really don't even know the patient, but it doesn't matter. On a spiritual level, as long as it's someone who CARES, and is comfortable there, then it has great meaning.

I used to work at a continuing care retirement community. One of our VERY old residents was in her final days and was afraid to be alone. Her sons wouldn't or couldn't be there. So all staff was asked to give whatever time they could to sit with her. I sat with her for an hour, we had maintenance staff, grounds staff, nurses, office people etc on rotation 24 hours a day. She passed easier knowing she wasnt alone.

My son is a young police officer, and one of his first calls involved a man who was shot in the face and stumbled onto someone's front porch for help.
He called EMS but knew the EMS wasn't going to make it in time, and he did what he could to comfort the man as he died. I asked him how you do that, and he said that you just speak gently with encouraging words, use a soft touch and try to make the last moments as calm as possible. I hope that this man's family knows that his last moments were spent with someone who tried to comfort him.

He was a stranger to this man, as are many of our first responders/emergency personnel. Thanks to all for the jobs they do.

These are beautiful. I had occasion to interact with a young, caring officer and it was so nice.

The biggest thing I've learned, is what people seem to regret on their final moments. I live my life differently because of what people have told me.

Same here. About 15 years into the job, and especially after my own illness, I decided to delve into it more deeply as far as the study of dying - and living. I was always interested in it, and what happens, etc., but stepped it up a bit. I love listening to older people and what is meaningful to them in retrospect and toward the end of their lives, and I have taken a lot of it to heart.

 

[bushdianee]

Yes I would. My grandmother was in a nursing home with alzheimers and died alone. We don't know the exact circumstances of her death but she was alone. M sister & I were just getting ready to go see her her when they called to say she was gone. Later one of the aides told us that when she came on duty and went to get her up from her daily nap she wasn't in her bed as usual. Now my grandmother was in a wheelchair and couldn't have gotten herself up. The aide went to look for her and found her in her wheelchair in the room where they usually held church services. It was a Sunday and this was several hours after the service. My grandmother had always refused to go to the services so I'm not sure how or why she was in that room. The aide who found her said that she had just passed shortly before she found her. We had been happy with her care up to that point and I probably could have demanded an explanation but it wouldn't have brought her back and she was just existing and wanted to die at that point. I never told my mom what that side had told my sister and I.

 

[njmom47]

We lost my bil two months ago in a car accident. When the first person got to him, he was struggling to get his leg out where it was stuck between the console and the gas pedal. The first responder talked to him and calmed him down so that they could get him out of the truck. He continued to talk to bil and keep him calm until the helicopter got there. Bil died before they got him on the helicopter.

This man has been a great comfort to mil. Knowing that someone was with him, talking to him; just letting him know he was alone.

This is very close to the situation I experienced the other day. A bunch of people, including myself, stopped. The driver was still alive, according to 2 passers-by who went over to the vehicle. They were speaking to him, other by-standers were praying (including myself). I stayed until the police arrived, hugged the ladies I was praying with, asked them if they were all ok (they heard the crash), and left. Later, I found out the driver was pronounced at the scene.
I am hoping his family knew there was people around him who cared, and that he was not alone in his final moments.
And there are not enough words to thank those who deal with this on a regular basis, but Thank You.