Hospice Care with Dialysis

What does Hospice Care with Dialysis entail?  Is it the same as other types of hospice care?

Hospice Care with Dialysis is a specialized type of care that combines palliative care and symptom management for individuals with advanced kidney disease who are receiving dialysis. The goal of this type of hospice care is to improve the quality of life for patients with a terminal illness, while also addressing their physical and emotional needs. 

Some Aspects of Hospice Care with Dialysis

• Palliative Care – focuses on relieving the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness.  It is not meant to cure the disease. Palliative care is provided by a team of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and spiritual caregivers.
• Dialysis – is intended for patients with end stage renal disease (ERSD) who require regulate dialysis treatments to remove waste products from their blood. Hospice care with Dialysis includes coordination and managing dialysis treatments, as well as providing emotional support and education to patients and their families.
• Management of Symptoms – is a key goal for these dialysis patients. There are many symptoms that can plague these patients with ESRD such as, 
• • pain management – managing chronic pain, bone pain, as well as other pain
  • shortness of breath – assisting with breathing difficulties and providing oxygen therapy as needed
  • nausea and vomiting – managing these issues that may be associated with dialysis treatments
  • itching – treating itching related to uremic pruritus
  • fatigue – addressing fatigue and other sleep related disturbances

• Emotional Support – Additionally, this type of care provides emotional support to patients and their families, including 
• • counseling: individual sessions to address grief, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges
  • spiritual support: providing spiritual guidance and support to find meaning and comfort 
  • respite care: offering of temporary relief to caregivers through respite care services.
• Coordination of care – This type of care requires coordination between various healthcare providers, including nephrologists, primary care physicians, home health agencies, and hospice teams.
• Home-based care – This care can be provided in the patient’s home, where they receive ongoing medical care and support from a hospice team.
• Bereavement support – After the patient’s passing, hospice care with dialysis also provides bereavement support to the family and loved ones.
  
  

  Hospice Care with Dialysis

 

Additional Information

To be eligible for this type of care, patients must have a prognosis of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course. It is possible for some patients to receive hospice care for longer periods if their condition improves or stabilizes.

ESRD and hospice care  ESRD with hospice care

Keep in mind that not all hospices providers provide hospice care with dialysis.  It is essential to research local hospices that provide this specialized type of care to ensure that you or your loved one receives the best possible support during this challenging time.

Please contact us at Transition Care Telemetry to see if we can accommodate you or your loved ones through our hospice offerings.   Transition Care Telemetry