‘ That’s so hard to watch when hospice dehydrates your parent or loved one. ‘
It is. It’s even worse when others with little to no information accuse you of being evil, for something out of their control.
‘Maybe it’s better that it speeds everything up but it’s not right. If that person is in pain, it’s probably better.’
Right? What would be right? The person is no longer the person you loved. There is no possibility of them ever coming back. Unconscious, can’t eat or drink, can’t communicate. Death is inevitable.
Keeping them alive doesn’t benefit anyone except the selfish person who can’t let go or face the reality of the situation and the hospice provider.
I’m speaking of my experiences, not Schiavo.
We've tangled recently, but please allow me to extend my deepest empathy, and wish you peace of mind. That is a horrific situation to be in.
Hi Fuzz,
My condolences on the loss of your mother; that is very hard.
Most people who die in hospice die gradually and as time goes on, they lose the ability physically to process food and water due to organ failure. At this point, nutrition and hydration are withdrawn.
This is what a natural death looks like: that the person dies of what is killing them or of the treatment.
Terri Schaivo’s situation was completely different. She was not in the process of dying, and the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration was not a treatment but the method by which death was caused, which is completely backwards from what medical care is supposed to be.