The Last Sense We Lose as Death Approaches

According to the SaedNews news-analysis outlet, citing Rooziato, doctors often advise families of terminal patients to speak to them and whisper comforting words. This recommendation is based on research indicating that hearing may remain functional even near death. In other words, although a dying person may no longer show physical responsiveness, their brain may continue registering the last sounds it hears.

A study published in June 2020 found that the brains of patients in an “active dying” state within palliative care settings still showed measurable activity in response to sound.

Researchers examined brain activity in 17 control participants, eight responsive hospice patients, and five unresponsive hospice patients. Each participant was exposed to two types of five-note musical sequences: one consisting of a simple repeated pattern, and another with a changing sequence. Healthy and responsive participants were asked to count how many sequences contained changes in the pattern.

The findings showed that brain activity patterns in unresponsive patients were similar to those of healthy participants. This suggests that even at the end of life, individuals may retain auditory processing abilities and continue to produce neural responses to simple sound stimuli.

Lawrence Ward, the study’s senior author and a professor at the University of British Columbia, noted: “What we know is that the auditory system in some of these patients is functioning in a way that is close to normal.”

However, despite evidence that hearing may be the last sense to decline, scientists emphasize that it remains unclear whether patients actually consciously understand what they hear after it is processed. Ward added that some cognitive processes may still be active even when patients are unable to respond, but it is not known whether they comprehend spoken words or find comfort in them.