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, Aria Hospice provides supportive care to keep the patient comfortable and control end-stage kidney failure symptoms.

Hospice Care for Patients with Kidney Disease Patients

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 Aria Hospice for patients suffering from renal disease:

Pain and symptom control – Aria 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 – Aria 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 Aria Hospice physician. The Aria Hospice Case Manager ensures that information flows between physicians, the visiting nurse, social worker and, at the patient’s request, clergy. In addition, Aria 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 – Aria Hospice has the resources to help patients maintain their emotional and spiritual well-being.

What can Aria 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.

Aria 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 – Aria 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.

Aria 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. Aria 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 – Aria Hospice meets the needs of loved ones along with those of the patient. Aria 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 Aria Hospice at any time if you need more information about this service.

Bereavement services –Aria 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 Aria 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. Aria 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%).

We Listen. We Care. We Serve.

When you are faced with the challenge of finding a hospice provider to help care for the emotional and physical well being of someone you love, maybe your mom or dad, you will be faced with many questions.

Making the decision about hospice care for a loved one is never easy, but finding the right answers can help you feel more comfortable with the options available and confident in your final decision.

Aria Hospice operates hospice care programs throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California. We pride ourselves on being one of the areas leading providers of end-of-life care.

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WHO CAN RECEIVE HOSPICE CARE?

Anyone diagnosed with a limited life expectancy can receive Aria Hospice care.

Once a physician certifies that an illness is terminal, (a life expectancy of six months or less), they will collaborate with the Aria Hospice team for services, tailored to the needs and wishes of the patient.

Many patients have cancer, but Aria Hospice cares for individuals with many other life-limiting illness, including heart and lung disease, kidney disease, neurological disorders, stroke, Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Family and friends also receive the benefit of hospice care, to help them support the patient and adapt to changes in their lives.

Many people mistakenly believe that all hospice patients are bed-bound, critically ill, and unable to continue living life to the fullest. Hospice celebrates life and supports you in achieving your individual needs in this chapter of your life.

Contact our Admission Coordinator at Aria Hospice in San Diego County or Imperial County with any questions you may have about hospice care or eligibility.

who can receive hospice care

WHY CHOOSE ARIA HOSPICE CARE?

After receiving a diagnosis for limited life expectancy, patients must make an important choice about goals for their treatment.

why choose aria hospice care

When a physician determines that there is no curative treatment for a particular illness, the treatment is not helping any longer or you decide that the side effects of treatment are too great, you may consider choosing comfort care as your ultimate goal.

Aggressive medical treatment focuses on curing the physical illness rather than satisfying the patient’s emotional and spiritual needs. It often requires intensive care in a clinical setting that can diminish quality of life. Hospice care has the focus of comfort, by relieving pain and other symptoms, while continuing to address emotional and spiritual needs of both the patient and family.

Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death, but relieves pain and physical discomfort so that the patient can experience a more peaceful and satisfying quality of life. At Aria Hospice, care is designed to primarily take place in the home or place of residence. Many families tell us that they waited too long to take full advantage of all the benefits offered by hospice care.

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We are one of Southern California’s premier providers of end-of-life care. Click the button below to Request Information or call (619) 795-6010 to learn how hospice care can help.