Tag: Voluntarily Stopping Eating & Drinking

• Can wishes regarding stopping eating & drinking be documented in other advance directives or should a specific form for this be used?

  They can be documented in other directives and the health care agent/proxy should be well-versed re this choice, copies made & provided to all family...

• If a patient has already established in their advance directive their desire to VSED while competent, why might a healthcare professional begin to offer them food or drink when they now lack capacity?

  This happens when the patient seems to indicate a desire for food or drink. It is very hard for family members to ignore a loved...

• What is “better” about VSED if clinical care to manage inevitable extreme suffering is not available?

  People have been dying this way for generations…and, as a rule, ‘extreme suffering’ is not a consequence of this option to hasten dying. No question,...

• Regarding VSED, how can dry mouth be addressed, and are there ways to do this without using liquid?

  While patient still alert & able to cooperate: frequent rinsing & spitting cool water; careful tooth brushing & keeping tongue & gums uncoated…use damp wash...

• How is the agony of hunger and thirst palliated during VSED?

  I would not use the term ‘agony’ to describe the symptoms associated with VSED. Hunger pangs tend to diminish after couple of days. No question...

• Can a person refuse only food and not water and have it still be VSED? And would dying just take a little longer?

  A person who wants to hasten death by VSED must understand that death is caused by dehydration, not starvation.  People can live a very long...

• What if you have no family to help out as you go through VSED?

  Anyone, including friends, can provided support as long as they know your wishes. Increasingly, end of life doulas are available for hire…and can help advocate...

• How do caregivers evaluate a patient’s change of mind during the process, when the patient said at the beginning that if he demands food during the process not to honor it?

  The response must be based upon a determination of the patient’s decisional capacity to ‘change’ his/her mind. It is almost always the case that, as...

• Do hospices generally accept VSED and effectively support patients who choose it?

  If the patient is terminally ill & chooses VSED – MOST are fine with supporting that choice. However, some hospices with religious affiliations may be...