My 83 year old mother is in a care home, and they look after her well. She hardly eats anything now, these past few weeks. She drinks maybe half a glass of something a day, on a good day. When I visit I try my best to feed her, but she rolls the liquidised veg around her mouth and takes ages to swallow it. She ends up coughing and spluttering when she's given liquid. The doctor rang me a few days ago and suggested this weekend was probably her last. She also mentioned a form about do not resuscitate. It's early hours of Monday now. My mother so far is still here. The carers bring her down to the lounge every day, dress her smartly, put makeup on her, and she smiles and laughs to herself. She doesn't seem to be in pain. But she's wasting away in front of me. Only a few months ago she was walking around having a laugh, singing, dancing, putting on weight and having to have bigger clothes. Now those clothes are hanging on her. One of the residents cries about my mother. She can see how ill she is too. It's hard trying to reassure the resident who herself has dementia. I came on here to read posts by others in a similar situation. I'm glad I did. At least the doctor and I agree that my mother should not be force fed and that when she departs from this earth she should be allowed to do so with dignity.