The Silver Hour is the metaphorical 30 minutes before and after death. Interventions are divided into
3 phases:

• premortem— imminent death. Can occur anywhere. Key aspects of the premortem phase focus on understanding death is a real possibility and the patient and family needs to know
• mortem–pronouncement of death. People are pronounced dead by a variety of healthcare workers in a different circumstances. More than one healthcare worker maybe be required to  pronounce a patient dead for legal reasons.
• postmortem–from pronouncement of death until removal from facility. The duration of the postmortem period varies widely depending on the circumstances and facility. The patient is  patient until they leave the facility.