Hospice-related question
My mom is in an assisted-living facility and under hospice's care. She has had a diagnosis of severe COPD for five years now and remains a chain smoker but doesn't outwardly exhibit signs of difficulty breathing, recently had COVID and a subsequent scan when taken to the ER for a fall showed cardiomegaly and abdominal atherosclerosis. She also has small vessel dementia and now WEIGHS 65 lbs!!! 65 lbs. 
The cachexia started a few years ago but she weighed 75 lbs earlier this year.
(As an aside, I'm so frustrated with my aunt, who lives in the same town as my mom - my sister and I live in different states - who basically force fed her when she was nearing death earlier this year. That simply revived her and kept her in a pitiful state, with no quality of life at all. I think I've finally convinced everyone that not eating is the one thing still under mom's control and do not ever force or even encourage her to eat; it just prolongs suffering.)
ANYWAY, for some unknown reason she has had a sudden spike in appetite while her mood simultaneously has tanked. She is sleeping most of the time.
I'm mainly curious if anyone has had experience with people in her condition suddenly wanting to eat but it not doing anything but wreaking havoc with her digestive system, resulting in impaction and then blowouts.
Also, my understanding is that, with this longstanding cachexia and now sarcopenia, her body isn't absorbing nutrients anyway so, without medical intervention of which there will be none given her wishes upon entering hospice's care, it's not like she is going to start putting on weight and absorbing nutrients to get her out of this malnourished state.
The appetite will likely subside again but it's puzzling to me and I don't get a lot of feedback from the facility or hospice, unfortunately. Any thoughts or insights?
= new reply since forum marked as read
That's very helpful. I've certainly heard about the burst in energy hospice patients often have days before death but the appetite increase has really thrown me. Thank you again. 
....as the body gets closer to death. They call it terminal lucidity, a term that focuses more on cognition. They may experience more clarity and/or physical energy and a brief increase in appetite isn't out of the realm of possibility. It's been a very long time since I've worked in human hospice, but we would see everything along the spectrum in regards to appetite, with loss of it being more common. My dad was very hungry up until he slipped into unconsciousness hours before he died . He was asking us to bring cheesesteaks, Chinese food, tacos, etc in the days before his death and he ate them relatively well up until less than 24 hrs before death. In veterinary medicine, an increase in appetite is very common prior to death and can be confusing.
With the appetite change and the increase in sleeping she is probably getting fairly close. Holding you in my thoughts. 
This is really helpful for me. Also, you have my sincere respect and gratitude for being involved in veterinary hospice. If there’s such a thing as angels, you’re certainly one.
