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End-of-life Dreams and Visions: a Longitudinal Study of Hospice Patients' Experiences

Overview
Journal J Palliat Med
Specialty Critical Care
Date 2014 Jan 14
PMID 24410369
Citations 5
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Abstract

Background: End-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) have been well documented throughout history and across cultures. The impact of pre-death experiences on dying individuals and their loved ones can be profoundly meaningful.

Objective: Our aim was to quantify the frequency of dreams/visions experienced by patients nearing the end of life, examine the content and subjective significance of the dreams/visions, and explore the relationship of these factors to time/proximity to death.

Methods: This mixed-methods study surveyed patients in a hospice inpatient unit using a semi-structured interview. Sixty-six patients admitted to a hospice inpatient unit between January 2011 and July 2012 provided informed consent and participated in the study. The semi-structured interviews contained closed and open-ended questions regarding the content, frequency, and comfort/distress of dreams/visions.

Results: Fifty-nine participants comprised the final sample. Most participants reported experiencing at least one dream/vision. Almost half of the dreams/visions occurred while asleep, and nearly all patients indicated that they felt real. The most common dreams/visions included deceased friends/relatives and living friends/relatives. Dreams/visions featuring the deceased (friends, relatives, and animals/pets) were significantly more comforting than those of the living, living and deceased combined, and other people and experiences. As participants approached death, comforting dreams/visions of the deceased became more prevalent.

Conclusions: ELDVs are commonly experienced phenomena during the dying process, characterized by a consistent sense of realism and marked emotional significance. These dreams/visions may be a profound source of potential meaning and comfort for the dying, and therefore warrant clinical attention and further research.

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A Review of Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Imminent End-of-Life in Individuals With Advanced Illness.

Ijaopo E, Zaw K, Ijaopo R, Khawand-Azoulai M Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2023; 9:23337214231183243.

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Hospice Patients' End-of-Life Dreams and Visions: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

Rabitti E, Cavuto S, Diaz Crescitelli M, Bassi M, Ghirotto L Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2023; 41(1):99-112.

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Expanding the Understanding of Content of End-of-Life Dreams and Visions: A Consensual Qualitative Research Analysis.

Depner R, Grant P, Byrwa D, LaFever S, Kerr C, Tenzek K Palliat Med Rep. 2021; 1(1):103-110.

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Fear, Pain, Denial, and Spiritual Experiences in Dying Processes.

Renz M, Reichmuth O, Bueche D, Traichel B, Schuett Mao M, Cerny T Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2017; 35(3):478-491.

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Significance of End-of-life Dreams and Visions Experienced by the Terminally Ill in Rural and Urban India.

Dam A Indian J Palliat Care. 2016; 22(2):130-4.

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