Hospice Care for End-Stage Kidney Disease
About End-Stage Kidney Disease
Kidney disease occurs when a disease damages the kidneys, causing progressive worsening function over time. End-stage kidney disease requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to keep a patient alive.
Signs of end-stage kidney disease may include:
- Nausea/vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue and weakness
- Changes in how much you urinate
- Chest pain, as fluid builds up around the lining of the heart
- Shortness of breath, as fluid builds up in the lungs
- Swelling of feet and ankles
- High blood pressure that’s difficult to control
Each patient’s plan of care is tailored to meet their unique care needs. In general, home hospice care is about more:
- Quality of life
- Focus on personal goals
- Normal activities
- Physical and emotional support for the patient and family
- Symptom and pain management
- Resources, supplies and equipment
- Counseling and respite services
How do I know if I’m ready for hospice support for my end-stage kidney disease?
Our hospice physician, in collaboration with the patient’s attending physician, will determine if a patient is eligible for hospice at home based on a prognosis of six months or less if their end-stage kidney disease runs its normal course.
Some signs that an end-stage kidney disease patient may be ready for hospice are:
- Refusing dialysis or renal transplant (or requests to discontinue dialysis) AND Creatinine clearance is 8 (>6 for diabetics)
- Supporting documentation for chronic renal failure: Uremia, oliguria (urine output 7), uremic pericarditis, hepatorenal syndrome, intractable fluid overload
- Supporting documentation for acute renal failure: Mechanical ventilation, malignancy (other organ system), chronic lung disease, advanced cardiac disease, advanced liver disease
Hospice services for end-stage kidney disease patients
Elara Caring offers comprehensive hospice services that include nursing care, aide assistance, social work services, spiritual care and other support.
Hospice nurses, for example, assess and help manage a patient’s pain and symptoms. They are trained caregivers who provide hands-on patient care and comfort the family while also teaching them how to take the best care of their loved one.
Aides are certified nursing assistants who provide personal care, such as bathing, dressing or mouth care. They ease the burden on family caregivers by assisting with activities like light housekeeping.
Social workers provide emotional and psychosocial support to the patient and family. They coordinate the logistics of the patient’s care and help with financial concerns, funeral planning or connection to other community resources.
Other members of the hospice team include physicians, spiritual care coordinators, volunteers and bereavement coordinators (who provide bereavement services to families for 13 months).
Get in touch with Elara Caring
Contact your local Elara Caring branch for more information on hospice and how we can help you focus on the things that matter most to you.
