Most of us aren’t at the point yet when we are thinking about these things — feeding tubes, CPR, and end-of-life care — but it may be beneficial to review some of these decisions and information now with our loved ones.
There’s a book called “Hard Choices for Loving People: CPR, Artificial Feeding, Comfort Care, and the Patient with a Life-Threatening Illness” that may assist in the discussion. You can purchase the book online ($7). At the present time, it looks like you can read it online at no charge. See:
The author, Hank Dunn, a healthcare chaplain, definitely has a point of view, which is that feeding tubes are not appropriate for those with dementia.
Note that “Hard Choices” is available in other languages as well, including Spanish and Chinese.
Robin