parental mental capacity

[Stevesw]

The health of a friends elderly parent is deteriorating but they refuse to see anyone. If you know it is in their best interest can you or the doctor override this choice to refuse help. If not, do you have no choice but to sit and watch them die? The parent lives alone.

[woofgang]

You can get them declared a ward of court iirc but the process is long and difficult. They cannot be admitted to hospital against their will unless sectioned as mentally ill again hard to do, even harder for someone to be treated against their will. Can you be a bit more specific at all? Older people sometimes are terrified that the doctor or the hospital won't let them home again (sometimes with good reason as docs and hospitals do sometimes do this, wrongly IMO )

[Stevesw]

Yes he is worried about going into hospital as if has had many friends go in but not come out. He has stopped eating and drinking properly. At the moment he is flatly refusing to see anyone. My friend is going to talk to the doctor tomorrow to see what can be done :( thanks for the reply.