Too often the dying person must contend with well-meaning denials by family and friends and never has opportunities to bid comfortable goodbyes. Please cry with me. When experiences are not shared, a cruel kind of isolation develops that makes the grief process more painful for the dying patient. Given enough time, people finally stop struggling and await the inevitable end. Completing the grief work, they accept it with peace and tranquility.
Unfinished business is taken care of.
They begin to separate from the outside world, choosing only one or two people to stay with them until the end. During this time, nonverbal communication is often more meaningful than verbal communication. They are ready to let go. This is not to be confused with people who go to the nursing home saying they have no reason to live. Resignation has bitterness.