[Serious] comforting the dying

[ColeDavis]

I am an atheist and so is my dying friend. Is there any advice out there about comforting people in this situation? Other people apparently visit him but skirt around his
illness and his impending death, so he particularly asks to see or speak to me.

I apologise if this has appeared before, or is in the wrong forum; please let me know.

A week before he died my father, who was an out and out atheist, told me that he'd had a "visitation" from his deceased twin brother ... not a dream ... he actually saw him in the room.

A survey was done in India of what people experience when they approach death, tens of thousands of people were involved. It was found that religious people tended to report "visitations" by religious figures but atheists often saw deceased relatives or close friends. This commonplace experience is probably what has driven the belief in life after death.

Interesting, although I would question its relevance. However, in terms of evidence, do we know if such surveys have been carried out in different countries, in particular ones with primarily secular societies?