Don’t be so hard on AEMILIUS PAULUS, BD. I suspect he hasn’t gone through your experience yet. Until you do, you cannot understand it.
My Mom passed about 10 months ago at 83 under the same circumstances as you Dad. During the last 3 weeks, she would scrunch up her face and push food and drink away. We could barely get her to take sips of water, no matter how much encouragement we offered. My sisters and I were worried sick about it, but luckily Mom had excellent care in a convalescent center and the nurses and managers knew what was going on and could advise us. That comforted us greatly. Mom slowly faded away over about a two week period and left us peacefully in her sleep. As with you, my sisters and I are at peace now as is Mom. It was indeed a sad and very trying time.
Your situations were entirely different. This woman was in a home and had nothing physically wrong with her (she was probably depressed) and got a daughter with whom she had apparently never gotten along to arrange “protocols” for her to starve to death.
I doubt that any of you are defending the fact that you sat in a nursing home eagerly awaiting the death of a mother you had never liked very much anyway. Maybe you should read the article first.