Hi everyone. I am looking for a wee bit of advice. As of Saturday mum was diagnosed as end of life care. The past 2 days she has just slept and today is refusing any liquidised food and drink. How long will the home try to feed mum before they just start to administer the end of life drugs and discontinue any attempt to feed or drink? This is a real rollercoaster ride and I'm not enjoying it one bit. Last week mum was up and about although at end stage. I hate this disease!
Thanks everyone. �� xoxo
FWIW I hate this disease too - with a vengeance.
From my experience with the carers in my mother's Home they are so unwilling to start those 'end-of-life drugs' unless the PWD is obviously in pain. They're so afraid of being accused of 'assisting death', unlike a Hospice.
Even when my mother is 'nil-by-mouth' after a seizure, they wait the bare minimum length of time before starting to get some fluids into her. Often only a couple of hours. Even when she is unconscious they keep her lips moistened with those little sponges.
My mother has twice gone into 'end-of-life care' only to 'recover' after 48 hrs and they never even tried to use the 'just-in-case meds'. They said she didn't demonstrate any obvious signs of distress. But then she's lost the ability to show any facial expression, though there is apparently there a chart to 'show pain'. You have to be very watchful with my mother. Usually I spot a couple of little furrows between the eyebrows which to me indicate she's in pain, but the Home disagrees.
But if you mother continues to refuse fluids it could be anywhere between a couple of days and a couple of weeks depending on how much fight she has.
As long as they can get any sort of food (puree or yoghurt) it would be much longer.