Abstract
In the past, when dying patients were cared for at home, sips of broth to the limits of satiety offered by a family member fulfilled the moral obligation to feed and to care. Today, when 75% of anticipated deaths occur in institutions, the questions arises: Is invasive life-sustaining nourishment ethically mandated? The clinical queston facing physicians is not whether to offer food, but what course to take when a patient ingests too little to sustain life. The following case history raises two principal ethical issues: When does life-sustaining medical alimentation become elective? What is the justification of 'symbolic' feeding in the palliative care of dying patients?
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 112-120 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Geriatrics |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1985 |