Abstract
Nutritional support during the last days of a dying patient is a critical issue that must be resolved by careful discussion between families, caregivers, and the health care team. Eating is such an integral part of life that when a loved one no longer wants to eat or cannot eat, some families and physicians feel they must do something to correct the situation. Food nourishes us, satisfies us when we are hungry, and comforts us in times of need. We celebrate everything with food and talk of food as “nourishing people back to health.” We prepare and share meals as a way of expressing love and concern. In many instances, however, there is a natural decline in the desire and ability to eat by a family member with a terminal illness, which may be hard for caregivers to understand or accept. Health care providers need to be well-versed in issues regarding artificial nutrition and hydration in terminal illness in order to assist patients and their families in treatment decisions.
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Furman, C.D., Ritchie, C.S. (2004). Nutrition and End-of-Life Care. In: Bales, C.W., Ritchie, C.S. (eds) Handbook of Clinical Nutrition and Aging. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-391-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-391-0_14
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