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Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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Your Doctor and your Dialysis Nurses will guide you in finding information and support groups. You will have many questions and this is no easy education. There are also sites on Facebook, on youtube, and other forums for you to explore. Start with: https://www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/dpc-support-group and www.dialysispatient.org and https://www.davita.com/education/ckd-life/support/support-groups-for-people-living-with-kidney-disease If you have had kidney disease long enough to progress to needing dialysis then there is quite a lot you already know. I wish you good luck. I hope others here who have direct experience either getting dialysis or caring for a loved one who currently gets dialysis will give you some other sites to explore and learn from.
You don't mention if you're going to have hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (PD). I called a friend who knows very little about hemo but has been on PD for a couple of years. Here's what I learned.
Expect what you know. Expect the unexpected.
Expected: PD gives you 7 days of steady at-home 12 hr overnight dialysis. Hemo at a center 3x/week means you might have more ups and downs with energy as your last hemo wears off. Unexpected: The PD schedule gets mucked up when the machine acts up and the alarm goes off at 3am or the tube gets loose and fluid's dripping through the ceiling.
Expected: You'll get a monthly delivery of boxes Unexpected: It's 33 heavy boxes to schlep & store. (But you'll be a hero to everyone who needs a supply of matching double walled storage boxes).
Expected: A port in your gut. Unexpected: It's intrusive. You cannot NOT see it. You'll modify sleeping habits to accommodate it. Before you decide to go PD vs hemo, "look at photos."
Expected: With PD, you can't swim in anything but saltwater or your own pool Unexpected: Power outages interrupt PD but my friend skips it once in a while if there's no alternative and hasn't had a problem.
Expected: There's the inevitable transition but things normalize - and sort of do. Unexpected: "Normal" means continual tweaks and fine tuning (like your levels are off so you tweak the diet)
Expected: Your schedule won't revolve around going to a dialysis center where people know you. Unexpected: There's no PD group support so it helps to be stubborn and self-advocate.
Expected: Infections are a real concern. Unexpected: No infections :) Good things happen too, knock wood....
The doctor labeled my friend a poster child for PD because there haven't been any health issues - just learning, adapting and inconveniences. One last thought from my friend, who rarely talks about PD and couches it in "I had a rough night" or "I have to run to get tests" because "People don't like to hear about illness, so I don't talk about it."
You have a welcoming forum here, but if you find you need a place to work out this dialysis thing, you might try journaling. Another friend, Fern Pessin, became a caregiver for her parents and kept a journal of what she did. People kept asking how she learned so much and could she share it. She wrote a book called "I'll Be There For You" and has it on Amazon. Maybe you have a story to tell too.
What a thorough response, and I love the expected/unexpected, as that is so much the case. How kind you are to take all the time to post this out. Beautifully done!
Talking to a social work care manager friend and mentioned your question. She had a critical insight when comparing dialysis center Hemo vs home PD: what kind of personality do you have?
If you want to control your dialysis, home PD home let’s you decide when to start each day. Since it’s designed to be overnight, your days are your own. You will arrange trips to get tests.
If you want to be hands-off and delegate the dialysis to a care center, they take care of the dialysis and tests but you have to go 3x a week and stay for 4 hours (rigid schedule, not it’s raining or icy) and you may not get the best time slots.
Because hemo is not daily, toxins build between visits. Even though dialysis center machines are super efficient, it’s physically draining to get the toxins out of your body.
PD is 12 hrs each day but seems to keep toxins from building up as much as hemo, so it’s less intense and not as physically draining.
By the way, the PD port tube tethers to the machine and there’s a tube from your machine (by the bed) to a bathroom drain (or a bucket?)
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
https://www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/dpc-support-group
and
www.dialysispatient.org
and
https://www.davita.com/education/ckd-life/support/support-groups-for-people-living-with-kidney-disease
If you have had kidney disease long enough to progress to needing dialysis then there is quite a lot you already know. I wish you good luck. I hope others here who have direct experience either getting dialysis or caring for a loved one who currently gets dialysis will give you some other sites to explore and learn from.
Expect what you know. Expect the unexpected.
Expected: PD gives you 7 days of steady at-home 12 hr overnight dialysis. Hemo at a center 3x/week means you might have more ups and downs with energy as your last hemo wears off.
Unexpected: The PD schedule gets mucked up when the machine acts up and the alarm goes off at 3am or the tube gets loose and fluid's dripping through the ceiling.
Expected: You'll get a monthly delivery of boxes
Unexpected: It's 33 heavy boxes to schlep & store. (But you'll be a hero to everyone who needs a supply of matching double walled storage boxes).
Expected: A port in your gut.
Unexpected: It's intrusive. You cannot NOT see it. You'll modify sleeping habits to accommodate it. Before you decide to go PD vs hemo, "look at photos."
Expected: With PD, you can't swim in anything but saltwater or your own pool
Unexpected: Power outages interrupt PD but my friend skips it once in a while if there's no alternative and hasn't had a problem.
Expected: There's the inevitable transition but things normalize - and sort of do.
Unexpected: "Normal" means continual tweaks and fine tuning (like your levels are off so you tweak the diet)
Expected: Your schedule won't revolve around going to a dialysis center where people know you.
Unexpected: There's no PD group support so it helps to be stubborn and self-advocate.
Expected: Infections are a real concern.
Unexpected: No infections :) Good things happen too, knock wood....
The doctor labeled my friend a poster child for PD because there haven't been any health issues - just learning, adapting and inconveniences. One last thought from my friend, who rarely talks about PD and couches it in "I had a rough night" or "I have to run to get tests" because "People don't like to hear about illness, so I don't talk about it."
You have a welcoming forum here, but if you find you need a place to work out this dialysis thing, you might try journaling. Another friend, Fern Pessin, became a caregiver for her parents and kept a journal of what she did. People kept asking how she learned so much and could she share it. She wrote a book called "I'll Be There For You" and has it on Amazon. Maybe you have a story to tell too.
If you want to control your dialysis, home PD home let’s you decide when to start each day. Since it’s designed to be overnight, your days are your own. You will arrange trips to get tests.
If you want to be hands-off and delegate the dialysis to a care center, they take care of the dialysis and tests but you have to go 3x a week and stay for 4 hours (rigid schedule, not it’s raining or icy) and you may not get the best time slots.
Because hemo is not daily, toxins build between visits. Even though dialysis center machines are super efficient, it’s physically draining to get the toxins out of your body.
PD is 12 hrs each day but seems to keep toxins from building up as much as hemo, so it’s less intense and not as physically draining.
By the way, the PD port tube tethers to the machine and there’s a tube from your machine (by the bed) to a bathroom drain (or a bucket?)
good luck.