Not necessarily and it may make her death painful When the body no longer "needs" nutrition it will not properly process it. So the extra fluid can build up in extremities or it can hinder kidney or bowel function. You can offer it to her If she is having problems swallowing you can offer it to her on a swab. but if she is having problems swallowing to get her to swallow can cause aspiration pneumonia. Please let Hospice be your guide at this time.
My mother died of dementia at age 95. Toward the end, quite a bit of her nutrition was from Boost. It was offered, and she’d drink it. However, her quality of life was nil or even less than nil. So if I had it to do over, I’d try to not offer Boost so much. I’d discuss with the hospice doctor if we could stop offering it at all. Nothing good was achieved by keeping her alive that way. It prolonged her agony.
Thank you for the info. I know it is "end of life" Hospice is taking good care of her. I just don't know how long this might last. It has been 3 weeks.
My mother lived for almost eight months on Boost, but she drank it of her own volition and had two to three of them daily. (The high sugar content also gave her gout, so watch out for that.)
If your mother isn't drinking anything or asking for food or water, don't force it, but you can always offer it.
If she has stopped eating, perhaps have something that she can see and wait to find out if she seems to want it. Don’t put a spoonful right next to her mouth, as if you expect her to open her mouth and take it. But keep her lips and mouth moist, with something she can lick for the taste. Hospice should be able to give you advice as things progress. I’m sure you know that stopping eating is an ‘end of life’ indicator.
You are new on the site, so click on Care Topics at the top right of the screen. Then click on E for End of Life. There’s lots of information there.
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My mom’s hospice moistened her mouth for comfort. She was very thin liked your mom. Their appetite leaves at the end of life.
Hospice stopped offering mom food and drinks towards the end. Eating or drinking won’t be satisfying to the patient and will make them uncomfortable.
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When the body no longer "needs" nutrition it will not properly process it.
So the extra fluid can build up in extremities or it can hinder kidney or bowel function.
You can offer it to her
If she is having problems swallowing you can offer it to her on a swab. but if she is having problems swallowing to get her to swallow can cause aspiration pneumonia.
Please let Hospice be your guide at this time.
If your mother isn't drinking anything or asking for food or water, don't force it, but you can always offer it.
You are new on the site, so click on Care Topics at the top right of the screen. Then click on E for End of Life. There’s lots of information there.
Best wishes to you both for a difficult time.