Aged care

The ethics involved in forced nutrition and hydration versus the dignity and comfort of the client/residents?

[ILADVOCATE]

As a person with dysphagia from advanced tardive dyskinesia who has extreme difficulty swallowing and chewing food I would think that all means should be tried to safely enable a person to be able to eat and swallow their own food unless there are direct physical reasons why they cannot swallow anything. Feeding tubes promote their own physical dangers and should be only used if medically necessary as directed by a doctor. The person's best interest should be considered first but the reasons for their inability to swallow food should also be addressed by the appropriate doctor such as an ENT specialist or in my situation a neurologist or for a person who is elderly a gerontologist or whatever doctor or specialist is appropriate.