This presentation will review end of life feedings options commonly seen in hospice including Tube Feeding, Comfort Feeding, VSED, Supplements, and Hand Feeding. It will focus on patients with Neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS. Both the legal and ethical framework for decision making and the importance of advance care planning will be covered. 

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the legal rationale for discontinuing tube feeding at the end of life.
• Explain the legal and ethical framework that allows VSED.
• Explain the importance of advance care planning in deciding end of life feeding options.