A hospice nurse has spoken out about her experiences of her patients' final moments before death.
Julie, a registered nurse from Los Angeles, has been sharing her experience of death and dying on TikTok, under the handle @hospicenursejulie.
Her comforting attitude to a frightening topic has resulted in her amassing over 411,000 followers since she started using the platform six months ago. Many of her videos have gone viral and she has racked up millions of views from intrigued Tiktokers.
In one video she spoke about a phenomenon where dying people will see departed loved ones or pets in the moments before they pass away.
"This actually happens so often that we put it in our educational packet that we give to the patient and their loved ones so they understand what’s going on," Julie says.
She goes on to explain that this "usually happens a month or so before the patient dies.
"They start seeing dead relatives, dead friends, pets that have passed on."
"Sometimes it's through a dream, sometimes they’ll physically see them."
This may sound spooky to most people, but Julie stresses that it isn't frightening or scary for the patient. In fact, they tend to find it comforting and enjoy the experience.
The phenomenon may be well documented, but it is also a complete mystery to medical professionals. "We don’t know why it happens and we can’t explain it," says Julie.
Julie has worked as a hospice nurse for five years. Before that, she spent nine years as an ICU nurse, so she has fourteen years of experience to draw upon.
As well as explaining the psychological experiences people go through as they pass, she also prepares her followers for the physical experience.
In one recent video titled "4 normal things that happen at end of life," she explains the sorts of physical changes we can expect to see in someone as they pass away.
"Here are a few things that happen at the end of life that look really abnormal but are actually really normal," she says in the video. She goes on to talk about changes in breathing, changes in skin color, terminal secretions, and fevers.
If the comments left on her videos are anything to go by, Julie's videos are providing huge help to people by normalizing the dying process.
"Thank you for sharing. My hospice experience with my husband was traumatizing," wrote one user. "How I wish I had known..."
"Thank you so much for all you do to explain all of this!" commented another.
