@golfer +1
lesschumras, you sound skeptical that a person would let their relative be drugged up and not get IV. well, let me tell you, when i read this post it struck a cord in me because i know someone that this happened to.
my friends grandmother had a hospice nurse come to her home for a non life threatening infection thinking everything would be great. he didnt live nearby so he visited her on the first day and everything was fine. unfortunately the family didnt know to be watchful and keep an eye on the medication. when he next had a chance to visit her 3 weeks later he was horrified to see her a frail skeleton. he noticed there wasnt any IV keeping her hydrated. he pointed this out to his family and they realized that she actually hadnt been awake enough to eat or drink anything for a few days! they called the hospice care to demand an IV they said they would try to bring it in a couple of days. horrified by this, the family said they would call Hatzolah and then suddenly the hospice IV was able to start that night. my friend mentioned to me however, that the next morning when they had a Hatzolah member look at her, he commented that he was astonished at how low the IV drip was. she passed away later that day.
so leeschumras, yes that is the way it is done, and if the family isnt informed enough to object, well tragic stories like these are the results.
Thank you to the OP for raising this important issue. its about time that someone is speaking out about this travesty.