Best Senior Home Care for ESRD: Ensuring Comfort and Quality of Life

In this blog post, we talk about the need for Senior Home Care for ESRD a patient with end-stage renal disease.

When the kidneys start acting up 

Sixty-three-year-old Janardhanan Ramaswany (JR) suffers from seizures and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Because of ESRD, his kidneys no longer function as they should. Healthy kidneys function like a well-oiled machine flushing out all waste and surplus water from the body.  Therefore, when the kidneys can no longer flush out excess water, water retention takes place resulting in swelling of the legs and feet. Because of this, patients begin losing appetite and get nauseous and tired.

  They also suffer from hypertension, shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, itchiness, and problems passing urine. Sadly, ESRD is not reversible. So, the patient has to opt for dialysis or a kidney transplant. JR is under dialysis. And he also has a urinary catheter. In addition, he is asthmatic.

Senior home care for JR

Janardhanan Ramaswamy’s family consisting of his wife and two daughters decided to opt for a professional home care giver for his care. This is because they found it difficult to move him around the bed and off it as he was too heavy. On a friend’s suggestion, they approached home care provider Life Circle. The friend was a past client of Life Circle and had good words for the quality of home care that the company offered.

The move helped immensely. And JR’s family members were able to find some me-time. They also got the much-needed respite. In addition, caregiver Mukesh’s genial attitude helped the patient feel much better. Mukesh kept JR engaged in conversation every now and then, and that made him feel happy. 

Happy with the home care given to senior

Latha Ramaswamy, the patient’s daughter, is happy with the quality of home care her father received. She also found no loopholes in Mukesh’s service. Mukesh served the household for only one and a half months. The family then decided to relieve him as the patient’s health had improved. And he was moving around without any help. Once a month, the senior has to visit the hospital for his diagnostic tests.

Key Features of Home Care for Elderly Patients with ESRD: Senior Home care For ESRD

Senior Home care for ESRD has numerous aspects. Proper care of the elderly requires collaboration among carers, specialists, and patients. Some of the most important features of home care for elderly patients with ESRD are as follows:

1. Medical Treatment and Support Dialysis:
Of utmost significance among the Senior Home Care  for  ESRD  the elderly patient with ESRD is the delivery of dialysis therapy. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are two types of dialysis. Both types are possible at home, but under special training and supervision.

Hemodialysis: Involves attaching the body to a machine via a filter from which waste and excess fluid are removed from the blood. Hemodialysis is typically done three times a week, several hours per session. The dialysis machine preparation, the administration of the therapy, and the provision of coverage if one of the listed complications occurs can be done by a health professional or an experienced family member and caregiver.

Peritoneal Dialysis: Describes the utilization of the lining layer of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum) as a filter membrane. It can be done daily and is less limiting than hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis caregivers to help with catheter and sterile setup are needed.

It is required that the caregivers also be educated about the individual requirements of the particular modality of dialysis. Doctors like nephrologists and nurses can assist and train to the extent that the procedure becomes safe and efficient. Medical caregivers also need follow-ups from time to time to monitor the function of the kidney, electrolytes, and general health.

2. Personal care and ADL assistance
The older patients with ESRD may exhibit weakness, fatigue, and impaired mobility due to the impact of renal failure. It may prevent them from performing their activities of daily living independently. Home care includes a tremendously important function of Activity of Daily Living (ADL) such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, and toileting.

Hired home attendants or relatives have to be ready to offer these services, while maintaining the dignity of the patient as they are provided with the care. Physical therapy or occupational therapy shall also come in handy in helping the elderly develop some sort of mobility and independence.

3. Nutritional Support
Healthy diet is critical in patients aged above with ESRD because the kidneys no longer have any control over the body’s balance of nutrients and fluids. Kidney diet, usually with decreased potassium, phosphorus, and sodium consumption, is advised to optimize renal function and to prevent complications.

Home care can include a dietary emphasis on food planning and preparation that is tailored to the individual dietary restrictions of ESRD. A registered dietitian can create a patient-specific meal plan tailored to the patient’s needs, giving them enough nutrients without overloading the kidneys.
 
Home care staff can assist with food preparation, grocery shopping, and fluid monitoring to avoid such complications as fluid overload.

4. Drug Management
Older adults with ESRD can be on several medications to manage their original disease, manage blood pressure, and prevent complications. Drug management is among the most critical caregiving responsibilities. It includes reminding the older adult to take his/her dose at the appropriate time, monitoring drugs, and monitoring drug interaction or side effects.

Others might have trouble remembering to administer medicines, a dilemma for demented elderly individuals. Pill boxes, reminders, and even trips to pharmacists can be employed by caregivers to make drug regimens easier to remember. Frequent visits to a medical practitioner are necessary in order to change medicines and adjust to the disease.

5. Emotional and Psychological Support
ESRD is emotionally and physically draining. Older patients become depressed, anxious, and lonely because of their deteriorating physical condition and requirement for dialysis treatment. Psychological and emotional support is a part of home care.

Caregivers have to be tolerant and patient, listen, as well as promote social interaction. Professional therapy or joining a support group may not only be beneficial in facilitating adjustment to the psychologic impact of ESRD for the elderly person but also ease the burden of care from the caregiver.
 
Social interaction in the form of visits by the family or communicating online can even enhance the mental status and well-being of the elderly person.

6. Coordination with Healthcare Providers
The caregivers must have close coordination with the medical practitioners, such as the nephrologists, primary caregivers, and specialist physicians caring for old patients. There must be follow-up regular check-ups and lab tests undertaken to monitor the progress of ESRD and address the complications in time before they become harmful.

Caregivers or family members are also expected to track symptoms, treatment dates, and how the elderly person’s health has evolved. This will help health practitioners adjust treatment whenever needed and offer the optimal degree of outcome in the health of the elderly person.