Guiding the Hand That Feeds

A 70-year-old woman with severe dementia who rarely speaks, is confined to a wheelchair, and requires diapers because of incontinence, is kept out of a nursing home by the efforts of a devoted family and daily attendance at a geriatric day-care center.

Abstract

The dilemmas confronting physicians and family members when elderly,\ndemented patients refuse to eat are discussed. Lo and Dornbrand outline the\narguments for and against tube feeding for those who will neither feed\nthemselves nor allow hand feeding by care givers. They offer recommendations\non making decisions for these patients, defining the goals of care, weighing\nthe benefits and burdens of tube feeding, and determining which treatment\noptions are in the best interests of individual patients. (KIE abstract)