Healthcare professionals in palliative care say the earlier signs point to the idea that the person begins to cut off from the outside world. They lose interest in social activities and prefer to be alone. They also might seem depressed, feeling less interested in living. Someone who is in the early stages of dying might sleep more often. This could mean sleeping later in the morning, and the healthcare worker finds it difficult to wake the person up. The person might also retire to their bed or chair to sleep during the day or after dinner.
Some older adults might develop dementia, and others might experience confusion as a result of an infection or their medication. If none of these are the case in an older adult, a recent development of confusion could be another early sign of death. Older adults are more susceptible to falls, but as death approaches, their withdrawal from daily activities will make their mobility much worse. People who are in the early stages of death also lose interest in food, even if they have enjoyed food before. You might notice their clothes don’t fit because they are losing weight.