Denise, a long ago live-in girlfriend had come to me for assistance now and then for 30 years or so. She was finally confined to a board and care for about 5 years. She had no other support, so I'd fetch her out of there for dinner and overnight about once a week - but then she came down with lung cancer (heavy smoker). She died much more quickly than expected because it hit her throat. She starved to death. I last saw her minutes or at most a couple hours before she died.