Kay, Hospice itself will be your best guide in knowing this. There is no question you cannot ask them. Speak also to your husband's doctor. I am so sorry. There honestly is nothing I ever saw as a nurse that was as hard to witness as the constant fighting for air of one you love.
You should be able to talk to the Nurse about this. Even though she only comes 2 or 3x a week, she should be available 24 hrs a day. If not, change agencies.
It can be different for everyone. My Dad ate Thanksgiving dinner and passed sometime during that night. My Mom, it was two weeks. She had Dementia and fought the nurses to not get her out of bed. So I told them let her stay in bed. She closed her eyes and never opened them again. She responded to commands. A week before her passing she could not swallow. Hospice was called in. Her body was shutting down. This meant she wanted no food or water and forcing it was no good. She died peacefully.
The answer below is correct, hospice should be guiding you on this and giving you good info. Look for no more communication from your husband, no acceptance of food, and sleeping a deep sleep most of the time. There can also be a glassy look to the eyes, a cough, and a change in skin. But these are among many things you may see, it’s very individual. I wish you both peace in this, it’s so hard
I'm so sorry about your husband having end stage COPD and how difficult this must be for you.
The home hospice company should have gone over those things with you and should have given you a booklet that talks about the different signs/stages.
You can also go to the upper right hand corner and click on "care topics" on the teal bar and go to the "E" section and read about the end-of-life signs.
With my dad, it was sleeping a lot, not eating or talking, low blood pressure, decrease in urine output and as it got closer, rattling when he would breathe and mottling of his lower extremities just to name a few.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate through all of this -
It can be different for everyone. My Dad ate Thanksgiving dinner and passed sometime during that night. My Mom, it was two weeks. She had Dementia and fought the nurses to not get her out of bed. So I told them let her stay in bed. She closed her eyes and never opened them again. She responded to commands. A week before her passing she could not swallow. Hospice was called in. Her body was shutting down. This meant she wanted no food or water and forcing it was no good. She died peacefully.
I'm so sorry about your husband having end stage COPD and how difficult this must be for you.
The home hospice company should have gone over those things with you and should have given you a booklet that talks about the different signs/stages.
You can also go to the upper right hand corner and click on "care topics" on the teal bar and go to the "E" section and read about the end-of-life signs.
With my dad, it was sleeping a lot, not eating or talking, low blood pressure, decrease in urine output and as it got closer, rattling when he would breathe and mottling of his lower extremities just to name a few.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate through all of this -