Conditions

HOSPICE CARE FOR KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS

End-of-Life Care for Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease

End-stage kidney disease, also called renal disease, occurs when the kidneys are so badly damaged that the patient cannot survive without dialysis or a kidney transplant. When a patient chooses to end dialysis treatments, Heart of Hope Hospice provides supportive care to keep the patient comfortable and control end-stage kidney failure symptoms.

End-stage renal/kidney disease patients are eligible for hospice care. The following is a clinical list of markers required to meet the renal failure hospice criteria requirements:

• Patient has chosen not to have renal dialysis
• Creatinine clearance of <10cc/min (<15cc/min for diabetics) AND serum creatinine >8.0 mg/dl (>6.0 mg/dl for diabetics)
• Uremic urine
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Intractable hyperkalemia
• Hepatorenal syndrome
• Platelet count <25,000
• Comorbid and secondary conditions contribute to terminal prognosis
• Pruritus
• Activity limitations
• Uremic pericarditis
• Anorexia
• Albumin <3.5 gm/dl

Services offered by Heart of Hope Hospice for patients suffering from renal disease:

Pain and symptom control – Heart of Hope Hospice specialists in pain and symptom management help manage pain, stiffness, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, itching, difficulty breathing, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression and other symptoms common to kidney failure. This ensures patients are able to enjoy life and remain in control of day-to-day decisions for as long as possible.

Care for patients wherever they live – Heart of Hope Hospice team brings services to patients in their homes, long-term care facilities or assisted living communities. If symptoms become too difficult to manage at home, inpatient hospice services can provide round-the-clock care until the patient is able to return home.

Coordinated care at every level – A plan of care is developed with the advice and consent of the patient’s nephrologist, if available or Heart of Hope Hospice physician. The Heart of Hope Hospice Case Manager ensures that information flows between physicians, the visiting nurse, social worker and, at the patient’s request, clergy. In addition, Heart of Hope Hospice coordinates and supplies all medications, medical supplies and medical equipment related to the diagnosis to ensure patients have everything they need.

Emotional and spiritual assistance – Heart of Hope Hospice has the resources to help patients maintain their emotional and spiritual well-being.

What can Heart of Hope Hospice do for the Family of a Patient with Kidney Failure? Family members may have to make difficult healthcare and financial decisions, act as caregivers and provide emotional support to others. If the decision is made to stop medical support or dialysis, families experience strong emotions and feel overwhelmed.

Heart of Hope Hospice team provides caregiver education – The family needs continuing education because as the patient gets weaker, symptoms increase and communication becomes more difficult. We relieve families’ concerns by educating them on how best to care for their loved one.

Help with difficult decisions – Heart of Hope Hospice helps families make tough choices that impact the patient’s condition and quality of life—for example, whether or not to give antibiotics for a recurring infection.

Heart of Hope Hospice Nurses are Available by Phone 24/7 – Even the most experienced caregivers will have questions and concerns. Having a trained nurse available over the phone at all times, they don’t have to wonder, worry or wait for an answer. Heart of Hope Hospice trained nurses availability around the clock are the for the patient or families to answer questions, or dispatch a member of the team to the bedside, when medically necessary.

Emotional and spiritual assistance – Heart of Hope Hospice meets the needs of loved ones along with those of the patient. Heart of Hope Hospice has a team of professionals in the medical-psychosocial and spiritual counseling fields available at all times.

Respite care – Caring for a loved one with end-stage kidney failure can cause tremendous stress. A caregiver can take a break of up to 5 days while the patient is cared for in a Medicare-certified inpatient setting or facility. Call Heart of Hope Hospice at any time if you need more information about this service.

Bereavement services –Heart of Hope Hospice Bereavement Team works with surviving loved ones for thirteen months after a death to help them express and cope with their grief in their own way.

What are the overall benefits of Heart of Hope Hospice care?  If you or a loved one is facing a life-limiting illness, you may have heard the term hospice. Friends or family might have told you about the specialized medical care for patients or the support services for loved ones. But most people are unaware of the many other benefits of hospice.

Comfort. Heart of Hope Hospice gives patients and families the support and resources to see them through this challenging chapter of life and help patients remain in comfortable and familiar surroundings.

Reduced re-hospitalization. In the last months of life, some people who are seriously ill make frequent trips to the emergency room; others endure repeated hospitalizations. Hospice care reduces re-hospitalization: a study of terminally ill residents in nursing homes shows that residents enrolled in hospice are much less likely to be hospitalized in the final 30 days of life than those not enrolled in hospice (26% vs. 44%).

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