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CAPC Palliative Care Discussion Forum
General Operational Topics
Palliative care for CatholicsAuthor: harrietburrismd
Date: Oct 5, 2007 9:21 am
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Nutrition and hydration is appropriate for palliative care except when the body can no longer utilize the substances, such as the dying process. The church does not mandate a feeding tube for patients with dementia, when the burden outweighs the benefits. Patients with ALS and other diseases that require a tube feed to live can make a decision, if competent, to NOT have the tube placed. The part that has been reiterated by the Vatican is in the case of a disabled person, such as one with PVS, who is NOT actively dying. In those cases, nutrition and hydration is considered an ordinary intervention, because to d/c it results in the starvation/dehydration death of the patient directly by omission of the substances. Hope that helps.