Let a patient start talking about buying a plane ticket, catching a train, calling a taxi or checking the bus schedule and the reaction from the hospice staff will likely be "Uh oh." Unless they really are planning a trip somewhere, when they start talking about traveling, it usually means they'll be leaving in a few days - permanently. It's an odd phenomenon, to be sure, but it's eerily accurate.
A patient who's been mostly unresponsive for days or one who's been talking nonsense will suddenly begin to ask anyone who'll listen to call a taxi because they want to go home, or will tell family members they need to hurry so they don't miss the next bus. Where the family will likely think they're hallucinating, the staff will nod knowingly.
The interesting part for me is how the mind uses symbols. Why don't they see the same narrow corridors and beckoning white lights as the people who have near death experiences? Perhaps because although they intuitively know they're dying, the path or road has yet to be revealed. All they know is that something is changing and they're embarking on a journey. The journey starts with the mode of transportation, I guess.
A patient who's been mostly unresponsive for days or one who's been talking nonsense will suddenly begin to ask anyone who'll listen to call a taxi because they want to go home, or will tell family members they need to hurry so they don't miss the next bus. Where the family will likely think they're hallucinating, the staff will nod knowingly.
The interesting part for me is how the mind uses symbols. Why don't they see the same narrow corridors and beckoning white lights as the people who have near death experiences? Perhaps because although they intuitively know they're dying, the path or road has yet to be revealed. All they know is that something is changing and they're embarking on a journey. The journey starts with the mode of transportation, I guess.
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