Thanks, Debbie.
My mother hadn't signed anything about her treatment as far as I know, but went on about wishing she was dead (even before she was ill). Not all the time, after all on the 19th-26th April she was pottering about weeding her garden, put the dustbin out ("doing the rubbish" was one of her favourite hobbies throughout her illness), brought the washing in all by herself (when I'd suggested asking the carers if they could help her bring it in), she enjoyed all that sort of thing like a 4-year-old.
Yes, I was shocked about the way she was treated in that hospital. If they weren't going to use a drip why keep her in hospital anyway? I could probably have got more food and drink into her at home, and at least at home she wouldn't have been forced to sit in a semi-circle with people in more advanced stages of dementia and to listen to a noisy radio which she hated. Also at home she could have had windows opened so it wouldn't have been so stuffy.
I don't know if anything could have or should have lengthened her life, I do know that she could have spent those last few days in a more congenial environment, with people she knew around, instead of nurses who were obviously too busy to care.
Lila