I've sat at the bedside of my mother and grandmother, both seemingly unconscious (for different reasons) and mostly unresponsive until they passed.

My grandmother would cry (tears would flow) when some family members came by and spoke about her condition in front of her. My mother would jerk her hand away from my father's when he was too fidgety with her. It would appear that they were both experiencing some form of consciousness, just trapped and likely very scared. So I took care of the swatting away of others and spoke softly to them to let them know they weren't alone.

I wish they could have expressed their needs in that moment.