Michael Erard writes about the phenomenon of delirium that often accompanies the dying process. He contrasts our cultural expectations of last words with the chaotic reality of a disoriented mind, revealing how this disconnect can affect both patients and their families.
… delirium seems to outstrip people’s ability — and their willingness — to grasp a phenomenon as simultaneously biological, emotional, and social. It has what David Wright called a relational dimension, in the sense that any individual’s delirium impacts other people’s perceptions of the relationship. Some find it traumatizing and distressing, others less so. In either case, what seems to help is when delirium is described as a normal part of dying, in the same way that baby babbling is described as a normal feature of language acquisition.