My mom is in an adult home, 97 yrs old and dying. The adult home sent her to the hospital this weekend because her blood pressure was spiking and they thought she might be having a stroke. The hospital sent her right back to the adult home with a diagnosis of renal insufficiency, which I guess means her kidneys are shutting down. She is eating almost nothing and drinking almost nothing, but the Catholic Church says you cannot leave someone with no fluids to just die. We definitely don't want dialysis, but if she stops drinking altogether and hospice and the hospital won't take her, what options do we have to at least give her fluids? We are working on getting her into a nursing home anyway because the adult home won't keep her in this state but we are confused as to where to go with this. Any suggestions? I don't even know if a nursing home will provide fluids.
The body does not know how to process the food and it it "busy" keeping the heart beating, lungs working and brain functioning.
Fluids may be aspirated causing more problems.
Fluids may also travel to layers between muscle and skin causing skin to swell and split.
Offer a moist swab dipped in water to moisten the mouth. Run the swab over the lips, tongue. Do not give ice chips, just the moist swab.
I am sorry you are going through this and so sorry that Hospice has not explained the reasoning behind the reasons for not giving fluids.
When a person is dying they will naturally stop wanting food and water.
Forcing her to eat or drink can be painful for her because her body is shutting down. Her kidney are shutting down forcing fluids her body can't process would be torture for your mother. As would dialysis.
She is not asking for water or food and being refused either.
I think you are misinterpreting your religious teachings.
There are Catholic-affiliated Hospice groups. I think you should talk to a Medically-knowledgeable Catholic priest about the Church's position on giving/forcing fluids when someone is dying.