Terminal dehydration: A gentle way to die?

On a September night not long after his 83rd birthday, my father suffered a massive stroke.  It left him conscious yet unable to talk and communicate, unable to swallow, and almost completely paralyzed. After numerous scans and other tests, his doctors determined that there was no chance for recovery.  My father would never walk, talk, or swallow food again.  With nothing more to do for him in the hospital, we — my mother, my sister, and I — needed to decide what to do next.  The social worker on the case encouraged us to put Dad in a nursing home.  A gastric feeding tube could be put in, and he could be fed and kept alive that way.  Indefinitely. We knew this is not what Dad would want.  Although he could no longer communicate his wishes, his advance directive gave us guidance.  “It is my desire that measures not be taken to prolong my life if the results of such efforts will not leave me in a condition where I will be able to enjoy a reasonable quality of life.” Before the stroke, Dad had bluntly told us — as well as his family doctor — that he would rather die than be put in a nursing home.  He’d been an extremely active and productive person all his life, and he felt every day should be marked by some accomplishment.  Inactivity was anathema to him.   When I was living at home, he used to burst into my bedroom if I slept in past 7:00 o’clock.  “Out of bed!” he would say throwing open the blinds.  “You’re wasting daylig...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Palliative care Source Type: blogs