Care homes forcing patients to have feeding tubes fitted
A new study published by Britain’s Royal College of Physicians reports thousands of elderly people are being forced to have tubes fitted so they can be artificially fed if they want to be admitted to a care home. A gastronomy has become a condition of entry for applicants, many of whom are in the latter stages of dementia, the study reveals, with a steep increase of 11.6 per cent between 2006 and 2007. But artificial feeding should only be used as “a last resort,” the study cautions, as it deprives patients of the pleasure and social contact involved in normal eating and drinking.