Some nursing home facilities, even those that accept Medicare reimbursement, will not allow residents to stay if they decide to observe the terms of a Living Will. While this may be illegal (our opinion - and we are not lawyers or married to one), it is still occasionally practiced. Thus, we personally know of families that have decided to honor a loved ones wishes to discontinue tube feeding and were asked to go to another nursing home. It seems to us that it would be possible to fight this.

To our sensibilities, it is discrimination. But most of families are not in the frame of mind for an extended legal battle. Our recommendation: Have the facility agree in writing to honor the terms of the patient's/family wishes even if this means discontinuing tube feeding.