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I find it hard to imagine,why Hospice is no longer able to get funding for a food supplement as they always have,for their patients.My mother has dementia,broke her hip,has blood clots in her leg,and barely wants to eat.Boost milk shakes and boost pudding has helped keep my mother alive.Now the funding has been cut off to Hospice to provide the ONE things she really needs.Of course I will buy it myself now,but as a caregiver to my mother,it helped me to have it provided.I love her Hospice Care,but I think it is ashame that suddenly they are no longer able to provide something the Hospice patients need.Are you aware of this?

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I'm kind of surprised Hospice ever provided Boost. Hospice does not cover room and board, and Boost would seem to me to come under "board." I don't know anything about the exact policy or if there has recently been a change.

It is generally considered that at the end of life, when the body processes are shutting down, food is for pleasure and not for nutritional purposes. If someone wants to eat, fine, give them food. If someone does not want to eat, do not force or coax them into eating. If your mother "barely wants to eat" but likes pudding, you could give her any pudding -- it would not have to be Boost. Same with the milkshake.

Ask the hospice nurse about the advisability of encouraging your mom to eat at this point, regardless of who is paying for her food.

My heart goes out to you. This is a difficult time, and it is very hard to see a loved one make her final journey. It is also a privilege.
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Items not covered by Hospice include nutritional supplements, and over-the-counter or personal hygiene items such as tissues, lotion and shampoo.
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Maybe the time for sustanance is done, and your Mom's time is near. I understand that towards the end of life food and drink are not needed.
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my aunt refuses every meal on the pretense it doesnt look appetizing . they supplement her missed meals with some king of liquid supplement but only a small half cup of it . my guess they want her to have a healthy decline and just want the proper vitamins in her system . a natural death not necessarily caused by malnutrition , just multipe organ failure .
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I agree with kathyt1. If your Mum barely eats or even wants to eat, maybe it has come to the time when sustenance is no longer needed, and she justs needs to be kept comfortable. In other words, the body starts to shut down when her time in near.
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