There's a great booklet called "Gone From My Sight: The Dying Experience" by Barbara Karnes, RN. Many hospice organizations hand out this 14-page booklet. Copies can be purchased for $3/copy (that includes shipping) from:

Barbara Karnes Books
PO Box 189
Depoe Bay, OR 97341

For more info, go to www.bkbooks.com. There's a new booklet on her website called "Eleventh Hour." That might be interesting.

In the "Gone From My Sight" booklet, Ms. Karnes devotes two pages to the actual signs one sees that indicate dying -- from one to three months before up to a few minutes before. I have seen these "Guidelines" posted in various places but no where on a public site. I won't post them here because it may be illegal to do so.

Buy the book or ask hospice for it.

The booklet was given to me by hospice when I was caregiver to my mother in law who was dying from cancer of the liver/stomach a few years back. It was amazing how exact the signs were, right to the very end. That was my first experience as a caregiver and knowing what to expect certainly made it easier. I knew what was coming next and prepared myself to face it. Great information!

The author of the "Gone from my Sight" booklet posted a video to youtube awhile back. I watched the terrific video and posted my notes here in June 2011 (and a couple of other places):

http://forum.psp.org/viewtopic.php?t=8800