consent to refuse treatment

[Chris9875]

hi my mother has msa for the last twelve years ,she is deteriorating particularly swallow and speech ,she has carers four times a day she has been offered a peg feed but has refused and soft diet and thickened liquid she is fully competent to make this descision and has been discussed numerous times with professionals .She nearly choked yesterday on a burger the carer reported to her manager and she is coming to see my mum to tell her she has to have thickened fluids and soft diet ,which I know she will refuse .can the carers stop feeding her if she refuses to comply

[Whitefeather1]

Morning , if Mum has full capacity then no they can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. Remember, as much as a good job they do, they're not nurses.

My friend ate and drank whatever she wanted all through her illness, she choked quite often!

Everything packed up with her apart from her brain, she was my Maggie until the end and made all her own decisions.

Can I ask if you have any hospice care in place ? If not, it might be an idea to get mum referred. The support they give is invaluable.

[Paul_and_Sue_Wood]

Hi

This becomes a problem for everyone not just your mom.

From your mom's point of view she wants to be normal and thickening liquids taste horrible ( according to my wife)

She is running a risk of choking leading to aspirational pneumonia and worse but as long as she is aware and accepts those risks she can make that decision.

Then she also has to accept that her decision affects the carers as they don't want to be seen as causing choking and worse.

It affects you and family as you see your mom deteriorating.

My Sue has a PEG which to honest has extended her life by many years as it allows us to supplement what foods she does eat.

Hope this helps.

Paul