The final days
How long can someone live after they stop eating and drinking?
When a person in the last stage of an illness stops eating and drinking, days to about two weeks is usual, with wide variation from person to person. The body's needs fall as it slows down, and hunger and thirst fade with them. This is the illness, not starvation. At Beta Hospice in San Bernardino, the nurse shows the family mouth care, which is what brings comfort now, and explains why fluids through a vein or a tube do not.
Medically reviewed by Oscar Chien, MD, Medical Director, October 26, 2026
On this page (6 sections)
Why does a dying person stop eating and drinking?
Appetite fades first, then thirst. The body no longer needs or can use much food, and swallowing becomes harder as the person weakens and sleeps more. The National Institute on Aging calls losing one's appetite a common and normal part of dying, and says that going without food or water is generally not painful at this stage, while eating and drinking can add to a dying person's discomfort. A conscious decision to give up food can be part of a person's acceptance that death is near.
Families often feel they are failing the person by not feeding them. You are not. The illness has changed what the body can take, and care has moved from nourishment to comfort.
What changes, from weeks to hours
| When | What you may notice | What the hospice team does |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks before | Less interest in food and drink, smaller portions, weight loss, more sleep | Adjusts medicines, teaches mouth and skin care, talks with the family about what is ahead |
| Days before | Very little eating or drinking, trouble swallowing, sleeping most of the time, less urine | Visits more often, stops medicines that no longer help, shows how to keep the mouth moist |
| Hours before | No food or fluids, long pauses in breathing, cool mottled hands and feet, little or no response | Stays in close contact and treats breathing changes and restlessness |
Days to about two weeks after food and fluids stop is usual, but no one can give a date. Some people take sips for a long time; some stop everything at once.
What helps
Comfort at this stage is about the mouth, not the stomach.
- While the person still wants to eat, offer favorite foods in small amounts, more often, and help with feeding if they are too tired to manage. Do not force a dying person to eat.
- Offer sips or ice chips only if the person is awake and can still swallow safely. Forcing fluids can cause choking.
- Keep the mouth moist with a soft damp cloth, a cotton ball or a moist swab, several times a day and whenever the mouth looks dry.
- Keep the lips soft with lip balm, and dab a gel or cream around dry eyes.
- Turn the person every few hours and keep the skin clean and moisturized; a thin person's skin breaks down more easily.
- Ask the nurse before giving any supplement, thickened drink or medicine by mouth. Comfort medicines can be given as liquid under the tongue or by other routes.
Do IV fluids or a feeding tube help?
At this stage, no. Fluids through a vein or a feeding tube do not add comfort and can add swelling, congestion and breathing trouble, because the body can no longer move the fluid where it is needed. The hospice doctor and nurse can talk this through with the family, and a decision made earlier in an advance directive or a POLST form guides them. For the specific question of feeding tubes in advanced dementia, read hospice for dementia.
Common questions
Is the person starving to death?
No. Near the end of life the body's needs fall and hunger and thirst fade with them. People at this stage do not feel hunger or thirst the way a healthy person would, and the National Institute on Aging says going without food or water is generally not painful. Moist lips and mouth care keep the person comfortable.
Should we keep giving regular medicines?
Ask the nurse. Near the end, pills for long-term problems such as cholesterol or blood pressure are usually stopped, since they no longer help and can be hard to swallow. Comfort medicines continue and can be given as liquid under the tongue or by other routes.
They ate a little today after days of nothing. Are they getting better?
Short rallies happen. Some people take a few bites, talk more or seem clearer for a day, then decline again. Enjoy the time, and ask the nurse what she thinks it means for this person.
Read more
This page is part of signs that death is near. The other pages in the series: the death rattle, terminal agitation and transitioning and active dying. For the medicines kept in the home, see the comfort kit.
About this page
- Written by
- Beta Hospice care team
- Medically reviewed by
- Oscar Chien, MD, Medical Director
- Last reviewed
- October 26, 2026
- Next review
- April 26, 2027
How we write and review this site
Sources
- National Institute on Aging: Providing care and comfort at the end of life (opens in a new tab)
- National Institute on Aging: End of life (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Hospice care coverage (opens in a new tab)
These sources support the general information on this page. For one person鈥檚 care and coverage, talk with the hospice team.
You do not have to decide alone.
Call (877) 258-7129 any time, or leave your number and someone from Beta's hospice team will call you. No decision is needed to call. Most families start with a question.
Only a hospice doctor, together with the person鈥檚 own doctor, can confirm hospice eligibility. A website cannot.
- A nurse answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- You can stop hospice at any time
- You have the right to choose your hospice