End of Life- still eating??

[123jump]

Hi all,
I wonder if you might give me the benefit of your experience on this one.

A couple of weeks ago, we were told that dad (vascular+alzheimer's) was 'EOL' and on morphine. Family allowed to visit.

He has rallyed (possibly due to family visits) and is fairly alert and eating (pureed food) and drinking well. No further morphine has been needed.

Do people in the very last stages of 'EOL' stop/ reduce eating and drinking? Or is this not a good indicator.

I am trying to work out if we are 'towards the end' rather than 'right at the end'.

Thanks in advance x

 

[canary]

People at the very last stage do indeed stop eating and drinking as the body no longer requires it.

I think what has happened is that your dad has rallied, so that he is no longer at end of life.
In her last year, I was told three times that mum was at End of Life, only for her to rally and start eating and drinking again. It happens more often with dementia than you would expect.

 

[Jessbow]

My Mother was EOL for months. It basically meant that if a catastrophy happened, it happened, if not, she'd just job along as she was. She ate a normal diet pretty much until the day before she died

Sometimes its good when someone rallies but its hard that you have to keep going through the emotional rollercoaster

 

[123jump]

Thanks so much for your replies x