Concerned daughter - Dad is dehydrated

My Dad was placed in a nursing home last week.


He is 80, and was in the hospital for a month after a fall in which he broke ribs, and fluid was accumulating in his chest cavity.

The Dr. at the nursing home said we might want to consider hospice.

They have determined that he is getting dehydrated, as he has no interest in eating or drinking.

How long does it take to die from dehydration in his current state?

Comments for Concerned daughter - Dad is dehydrated

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I hope your dad is being taken cared off NEW
by: Jeremy Jardinel

To answer your question honestly, when someone elderly stops eating and drinking, it typically takes anywhere from a few days to around two weeks depending on their overall condition, and in his case with the existing health complications it may be on the shorter end of that. The hospice suggestion from the doctor is worth taking seriously, not as giving up, but because hospice actually provides a level of comfort-focused care that a regular nursing home often can't match, including pain management and emotional support for both him and your family.

I got my references here:
https://hopebridge.care/dehydration-risks-in-seniors-and-how-to-stay-safe/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10255140/

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