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When a senior loved one is undergoing dialysis, it can be a challenging time for both you and your loved one. Offering support can enhance the overall experience and provide the emotional and practical help your loved one needs. Here are some ways you can effectively support a loved one navigating life with dialysis.
Understand the Dialysis Process
Taking time to learn about dialysis can help you support your loved one better. Dialysis is a treatment that removes waste, toxins, and excess fluids from the blood when the kidneys are no longer functioning properly. There are two main types of dialysis:
- Hemodialysis – A process where a machine filters the blood outside the body.
- Peritoneal dialysis – A home-based option where the blood is cleaned inside the body using a special fluid in the abdominal cavity.
Understanding how the treatments work, the schedule, and what your loved one experiences during and after each session can help you empathize with his or her situation and prepare to offer targeted assistance.
Provide Emotional Support
Dialysis can be both physically draining and emotionally taxing. Your loved one may experience feelings of frustration, anxiety, or even depression. Here’s how you can offer emotional support:
- Be a good listener – Encourage your loved one to express his or her feelings and concerns.
- Offer words of encouragement – Remind your loved one of his or her strengths and progress.
- Be patient – Mood swings or irritability may arise due to the stress of managing kidney disease and its treatment.
By showing empathy and being consistently supportive, you can help your loved one feel understood and cared for during this difficult time.
Assist with Transportation and Scheduling
Dialysis often requires frequent appointments, sometimes three or more times per week. This can be exhausting and logistically challenging for your loved one. You can help by:
- Driving your loved one to and from dialysis centers or helping him or her arrange reliable transportation.
- Assisting with organizing appointment schedules to avoid conflicts or unnecessary stress.
- Planning rest periods after sessions, as fatigue is a common side effect.
Your involvement with transportation and time management can reduce your loved one’s burden, ensuring he or she has one less thing to worry about.
If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Senior Stride Home Care, a trusted provider of senior home care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping.
Help with Nutritional Needs
A dialysis-specific diet is a critical part of managing kidney disease. Seniors often need to limit their intake of certain nutrients, such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. You can support your loved one’s dietary needs by:
- Learning about dialysis-friendly foods and recipes
- Planning and preparing meals that align with your loved one’s nutrition goals
- Encouraging your loved one to drink fluids in moderation, as dialysis patients may have fluid restrictions
By assisting with your loved one’s dietary requirements, you can contribute to his or her health in a practical and meaningful way.
An experienced professional caregiver can prepare nutritious meals that meet your loved one’s unique dietary needs. Living with serious health conditions can make it challenging for seniors to age in place. However, they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional around-the-clock live-in care. Oshkosh seniors can benefit from assistance with meal prep, bathing, transportation to the doctor’s office, medication reminders, and much more.
Offer Household and Daily Living Assistance
Dialysis can often leave individuals feeling fatigued, making everyday tasks more difficult to manage. Offering to help with household responsibilities is an excellent way to alleviate their stress. You could:
- Handle chores like cleaning, laundry, or grocery shopping
- Organize medications and set reminders for when to take them
- Provide companionship during downtime to ensure your loved one doesn’t feel isolated or neglected
Little acts of kindness in daily life can make a big difference in easing some of the pressures your loved one faces.
If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, medication reminders, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Senior Stride Home Care, a leading provider of homecare Oshkosh families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today.