http://www.hospicepatients.org/starvation.html
The doctors explained to all the family members that they did not think Stanley was actually actively dying at this time and that he would recover from the urinary obstruction and the infection that accompanied it. They said that it is normal to encourage drinking fluids after someone has a urinary obstruction relieved. Stanley began to beg for water and food. The nurses in the hospital sneaked him some water whenever they could, because they knew he was not dying right then (and it was appropriate for the recent urinary obstruction).
However, the daughter continued to try to prevent Stanley from getting food or water. Finally, his niece, who had witnessed how Stanley was suffering from the lack of food and water, could not stand the situation any longer. She went to the hospital's ethic's committee and submitted a plea on Stanley's behalf.
Stanley continued to beg and cry for food and water, but as the days went by, he became despondent, sad and depressed. He began to withdraw and wouldn't talk to his daughter (who blocked all attempts to give him any food or water ... against his will). The hospital agreed with the niece's perception of the situation and to avoid legal liability, decided that Stanley had to be discharged from the hospital.
He was much recovered from his infection, the pressure on the kidneys was relieved and the hospital did not want to be held responsible for Stanley's untimely death due to starvation and fluid deprivation. However, the niece was not in charge of Stanley's treatment. Stanley's daughter promptly arranged for him to be taken to a hospice facility nearby (Stanley had already been "certified" as having a terminal illness and eligible for hospice due to his colon cancer, but was not yet at the very "end-stage."
When the hospice nurses received Stanley into their facility, they knew he had terminal colon cancer and listened to the daughter explain how Stanley was dying right then and how he had become withdrawn and depressed. She told them repeatedly that Stanley was at the very end stage.
The hospice nurses cooperated with his daughter's wishes (to "just let him go and keep him calm and comfortable" since they knew she was the appointed Representative for medical decisions. They withheld all food and water. They used standing orders to give him sedatives which he did not want and continued the use of some morphine which they said was for his comfort.
The morphine and sedatives had the combined effect to make Stanley sleep almost all of the time, and when he did wake up, he was confused and disoriented. His doctor did not visit Stanley at all to assess his condition once he was in the hospice. The doctor relied upon what the hospice nurses told him.
Eighteen days later, Stanley was dead.
good night, fv -- hope we all get some good rest tonight . . . I restocked up on V8's.
Good night, Terri. May angels seen and unseen continue to guard and protect you against all harm.
I copied your post about Stanley into an email to send to everyone I have an address for. I added my question: "IS THIS ROUTINE CARE FROM HOSPICE? Terri Schiavo has been in a Hospice facility for years. She is NOT dying. Her husband and the hospice want to stop her food and water."