Ironically, my father had Alzheimer's and had been nursed by my mom prior to her stroke. We placed him in the same nursing home as she, and he died six months after my mother. He seemed much more content, though he did wander, and was known to curse at the nurses from time to time.

My mom was never content. Withdrawal of her treatment would have meant more psychotic episodes, not death. That is why her children dread the possibility of this outcome for ourselves. What are the real choices someone in that position has?