A case of an elderly woman with dementia in whom nutrition via gastrostomy was discontinued after considerable discussion according to the guidelines

A 94-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease had been receiving nourishment via gastrostomy for three years and in a state in which communication was not possible. Upon the family's request for consultation and advice, and after a considerable discussion according to the guidelines, the decision was made to stop the gastrostomy feeding. The patient subsequently coincidentally contracted influenza one week later and died due to pneumonia. Based on our experience of making the decision to stop nutritional supplementation via gastrostomy according to the guidelines, there are various issues, such as the psychological distress of the family, which cannot be resolved based on the guidelines.