Has anyone ever seen this before?

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I work at an inpatient Hospice facility. Last week we had an elderly Mexican patient that was actively dying for 3 days. The last day I was with him, the family had placed a key in his hand. I didn't ask, because they were all so emotional. But I am curious, is this a cultural thing, or maybe they just placed it there because he was "reaching" like our patients sometimes do in the end.

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Specializes in Case Managemnt, Utilization Review.

How about a key to the wife's heart so he knew in words how much she loved him? May be wrong, but at least romantic!!

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maybe it was a family thing...i have never heard of a cultural thing like this

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Maybe it was a key to the kingdom of heaven?

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maybe it was a family thing...i have never heard of a cultural thing like this

im mexican and we don't ever do that , maybe it's a family thing. I'm Catholic so who knows maybe a different religion does this

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