My mother-in-law (92) was moved from hospital to hospice. She was NPO in the hospital. Her demential is affecting her swallowing. They said she was not strong enough to undergo surgery for PEG. She has been in hospice 2 weeks and is very week but still alive. They are now wanting to move her out. She was supposed to be NPO in hospice but they insisted on giving her very small amounts of soft foods and liquids by mouth. At our insistance they have stopped that but the doctor still insists she could live another 3 weeks. She has had no fluids for the last 4-5 days (that we are aware of). She is very week, semi-conscious, cannot talk and no longer recognizes us. I do not see how she can live more than a couple more days. A week without water is pretty much the limits of life from everything I have read. We don't know what to do. I firmly believe the medical staff at that hospice are incompetant. We don't want to move her when her death has to be imminent.
It all boils down to money. The doctor at the center does not feel like her death is imminent and will not bill medicare, so he wants her out. If she is NPO there is no way that is true.
(FYI....she has no IV's, feeding tubes, etc) They insist on giving one of her pain meds to her by mouth (liquid). But it is a very small amount and there is no way that there is enough liquid there to make a difference.
