When my Dad's mother got near the end (late 80's and frail, but no other identified health issue) she simply stopped eating. She and my grandfather had mutually agreed never to engage in medical heroics (and all the kids knew this, so that helped). In addition, he had promised never to place her in a nursing home. She was taken to a hospital briefly, then to a nursing home. Feeding tube for a few days. She was still very alert, and basically rejected my grandfather. He had the forced feeding stopped, and she took (IIRC) about 10 days to die. He lived another 5 years, with lots of regrets about her final care. In the end, he did the same thing, just stopped eating. This time, his children rallied to the cause, and cared for him at home while he took the obligatory few weeks to die. I admired both of them, as well as their courage at the end.
BTW, Oregon has a right to die law, which I voted for. |
