>> Under these circumstances it would be shocking–and criminal–if a medical team withheld food and water from a helpless woman capable of–and actually taking–nourishment.
Agreed.
ping
Pro-life alert?
My Grandmother unfortunately (for her) lived till 101 and one nurses aid from Trinidad was so obnoxiously bossy that grandma refused to eat as a protest, till she left.
Then a few years later granny just refused to wake up most of the time, for >2years before death.
So, she eats and wants to eat, she drinks and wants to drink, but because she can’t hold the fork or cup herself, it’s ok to kill her?
Where is her family in all this?
Slope meet grease
At least here in the states (I don’t know about Canada), one can make all those decisions ahead of time. If you do not want nourishment given that can be part of the over all orders that one establishes with ones doctor and power of attorney for health care.
If you want somethings and not others, say so. if you really and truly want nothing except palliative care, say so. Have the discussion with your doc. Make appropriate plans and put them in a legal document. Let your family know. That’s all it takes
And when she did end up that way I carried out her wishes, would do it again, and I have the same stipulations in my own legal papers.
In fact, after spoon feeding becomes unworkable, I have found from personal experience that by using a large, wide mouth straw, like the ones you can’t get with giant refillable soft drinks in New York anymore, voluntary feeding can continue with an Alzheimer’s patient for as much as an additional year. (Our hospice folks learned a few things from us.)
As a caregiver to my step mom, I would suck her food into the wide straw, then offer her the straw (bottom end), holding it up a bit so that she did not have to fight gravity to suck some in.
My dad and I used a patient lift to get her down to large Lazy Boy recliner with a couple layers of 3” memory foam mattress topper on top of it, in our family room each day.
That memory foam is great stuff and goes a long way towards preventing bed sore problems. We sewed a sheet cover to fit over the two layers of memory foam that we cut to fit the recliner. (and an “accident pad” on top of that to prevent soiling.)
The recliner allowed us to easily position her for eating, resting or sitting up with us all day. We would move her back to the hospital bed (with a similar memory foam set-up) next to dad’s bed for the night.
We managed to keep her comfortable and smiling to the end, which was, of course, our mission.
she wants someone to murder her.
There is no euthanasia when the patient’s family let the hospital staff know that the staff’s health is dependent on the patient’s health. They generally do not have to be blunt about it, just drop several hints.
If they try bringing up the subject of euthanasia, act like you didn’t hear their question, but a different one:
“Your grandmother is suffering with her ingrown toenail. It would be best if she was allowed a natural death instead of having to continue to suffer.”
“Yes, you do have a very nice house there on Oak Street, very close to where your kids go to school. Conveniently located.”
They are not stupid people, so they usually get the message.
Unbelievable comments on this thread.
Blinking is a reflex.
Opening one’s mouth to receive food is an act of volition.