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Nutritional needs at the end of life
Sharing food is one way we nurture
and care for those we love. When a seriously ill family member
doesn’t eat, it can be very distressing. Depending on the
disease, however, refusing food can be a very normal part of
the process. Sometimes forcing someone to eat can make things
worse. If the person you care for is near the end of life, his
or her body does not have enough strength to handle digestion,
breathing, thinking, and fighting the disease all at once. Under
some circumstances, eating, digesting, and eliminating food
can be painful or cause distressing symptoms such as vomiting,
diarrhea, and bloating. Even the simple intake of fluids can
make it difficult to breathe because of a buildup of secretions
in the lungs. As contrary as it might seem, at the very end
of life food and fluids may cause more distress than going without.
(Return to list)
Special diets and serious illness
Seniors frequently have chronic
conditions such as diabetes or heart disease that are known
to respond well to specialized diets. Certainly if an elder
is healthy and active, it is wise to stick to these regimens
as much as possible. But in the case of life threatening illness,
there are other factors to consider.
The American
Dietetic Association has determined that quality of
life can be just as important to the frail elderly person
as is nutrition. Eating is not just a biological process.
Food has many social, cultural, and psychological meanings
as well, and these factors have a strong influence on our
enjoyment of life.
As for daily living, dieticians
have determined that a restrictive diet for frail elders may
not be all that helpful. If medicines can compensate for a
change in eating habits, dieticians now encourage the seriously
ill to add "comfort foods" to their diets. The goal
of healthy eating is to affect overall health. If restrictive
diets—for instance, lack of salt—are altering a
frail patient’s ability to enjoy life, then the dietary
regimen is not meeting its goal of overall health and well
being.
The take-home message? What
individuals with life threatening illness eat is generally
not as important as how much they enjoy the experience of
eating. (Return to list)
Refusing to eat
With terminal diseases such
as cancer, it is natural to lose one’s appetite. In fact,
feeding a patient artificially (through a tube, for example)
has been shown to help a tumor grow even faster! Not eating
may be one of the body’s natural defense mechanisms.
Forcing food is not likely to help dying patients "keep
up their strength." Near the end of life the effort required
to eat, digest, and eliminate simply becomes too much to handle.
Loss of appetite is a natural part of the dying process. You
will be doing the person you care for a favor to honor his
or her wishes regarding food.
There is some controversy about
the rights
of a person to refuse to eat or take in fluids just
as there is controversy about the rights of an individual
to refuse medical treatment. If an individual near the end
of life chooses not to eat or not to drink water and nature
is allowed to take its course, that person will probably die
within 10 to 14 days. If he or she continues to take in fluids,
the dying process may be prolonged by several weeks.
Refusing food or water during
terminal illness is not like starvation. It does not cause
a painful death. Quite the contrary; after a day with no food
or water, the body produces a natural painkiller. The patient
loses any sensation of hunger or thirst and even seems to
experience slight euphoria. Lack of fluids may also help the
patient be more comfortable because it reduces symptoms such
as nausea, vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea. It can also help
decrease the amount of fluid buildup in the lungs, which can
reduce the need for bothersome suctioning procedures. The
only discomfort identified is a parched or dry mouth that
often happens with dehydration. Lip balm for the lips and
ice chips or a mouth swab dipped in water can do much to relieve
the symptoms of dry mouth. (Return to list)
Choosing to start or discontinue
artificial feeding
If a patient is no longer able
to communicate preferences, the decision to start or stop
artificial feeding may be one of the more difficult decisions
a family has to make. In the absence of an advanced directive,
you must follow your own wisdom and your own understanding
of your loved one’s desires regarding quality
of life. As mentioned in the previous paragraphs,
losing the desire to eat is a natural part of the dying process.
Forcing food and fluids on the patient can in fact cause more
discomfort in his or her final days.
It can be disconcerting to decide
to withhold food or fluids. Despite evidence that this choice
may well be the most merciful one, many people find it difficult
to think that they may be starving their loved one to death.
Each family must come to terms with its own understanding
of its loved one’s wishes and its own version of compassion.
Whatever you decide, it is important to remember that artificial
feeding may postpone the moment of death by days or weeks,
but it will not keep a terminally ill person from dying. (Return
to list)
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