Nutritional support for people who are dying or severely demented

[GarryDrold]

Eventually, people who are dying lose their appetite, and people with advanced dementia become unable to eat. Family members are often concerned about providing nutrition for these people and may consult a doctor about using tube feeding or intravenous feeding methods (nutritional support). Family members are inclined to want to use nutritional support for many reasons. For example, food has been associated with love, caring, hospitality, and support in all cultures throughout history. Also, family meals may be a social activity that family members are reluctant to give up.
However, nutritional support appears to have no benefit. It does not appear to prolong life or improve the quality of life. Many doctors and nurses who care for dying people believe that the days before death may be made more uncomfortable if people are given nutritional support or made to eat more than they want. People who have advanced dementia or who are dying are not distressed by feeling hungry. They are usually more comfortable when they eat and drink as they choose. During the dying process, the body starts to shut down, and a person may lose the desire for food and drink. Also, until recently in human history, dying people were not given nutritional support nor forced to eat more than they wanted to. So doctors usually do not recommend nutritional support.
If death is not expected to occur within hours or days, nutritional support may be tried for a limited time to see whether the person