Ways Home Care for Kidney Disease Patients Improves Your Life

Kidney disease is a condition where a person’s kidneys are not working properly. These organs, which are two bean-shaped organs that are located just below the rib case on either side of the spine, have a vital function. They help remove waste products and extra fluid from the body. Besides their filtering function, kidneys also help with bone and red blood cell health.

As people age, their kidneys may start working incorrectly, and waste can build up in the body. This common illness, known as chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work like they should.

However, the illness is not as scary as it sounds. As long as patients receive the proper care for the condition, they can lead long and happy and healthy lives. Yet, if the condition is left undiagnosed and untreated, CKD can lead to kidney failure and death. CKD can also lead to heart disease, because the heart has to pump harder to get the blood to the kidneys. That’s why it is important to get an early diagnosis and to receive the proper care.

One way to make sure a person received the needed care is to use home care for kidney disease patients.

Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease

In simple terms, CKD means the kidneys are not working properly, and they begin to lose their function. The illness continues to worsen over time. There really is no cure for it, but patients, with the help of their medical teams and home services teams, can take steps to preserve the function of the kidneys for as long as possible. During the later stages of kidney disease, a patient may need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

A nephrologist (kidney doctor) helps monitor kidney conditions through two tests: a blood test and a urine test. The blood test checks for the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which measures the amount of creatinine, or waste, in the body. This number shows doctors how well the kidneys are filtering out waste. The urine test, which is called a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), checks for a condition called albuminaria, which means there is too much of a protein called albumin in the body. Healthy kidneys prevent albumin from passing into the urine. The less albumin there is in the blood, the better.

Depending on the eFGR and the uACR rates, doctors can determine the stage of a person’s CKD. There are six stages of CKD, which include: (Stage 3, the middle stage, is split into two stages.)

Stage 1: In this stage, a patient has a normal eGFR of 90 or greater and there’s mild damage to the kidneys. The kidneys are working well, so a person may not have any symptoms. During this stage, there may be amounts of albumin in the urine.
Stage 2: In this stage, a patient’s eGFR may have decreased to between 60 and 89. This means there is still mild-kidney-damage. The patient still may not realize there is anything wrong, because the kidneys are working well for most of the time. Other signs of kidney damage can be physical damage as well as having protein in the urine.
Stage 3a and Stage 3b: In stage 3a, a person has an eGFR between 45 and 59. In stage 3b, a person has an eGFR of between 30 and 44. There is mild to moderate damage to the kidneys. The waste pile up can lead to complications such as high blood pressure, anemia, and issues with bone health. It’s during this stage that people may start to notice symptoms. (Most people in these stages of CKD do not move into Stage 4 or 5.)
Stage 4: In this stage, patients have an eGFR between 15 and 29 with moderate to severe damage to the kidneys. The kidneys are not working well, and waste is building up at a quicker rate. Other issues may start to arise, such as a greater increase in blood pressure, bone disease and heart disease. A patient’s hands and feet may start to swell. This is an important stage, because it’s the last stage before kidney failure.
Stage 5: This is the worst level where a patient has an eGFR of less than 15. By this time, there is severe damage to the kidney and a lot of protein in the urines. Either the patient’s kidneys are getting close to failure or have already failed. The stockpiling of waste in the boy can cause a person to become very sick. During this stage, a patient’s options are dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Role of Home Care in Kidney Disease Management

Many people, with chronic kidney disease, are turning to home health care as a way to help them control the illness. The team staff should be specialized in specific areas to ensure the client is taking all the required measures to keep the condition from worsening.

Administering Medication

For instance, the team members need to be specialized in medication management. The team needs to ensure the client is receiving the proper administration of the medication and are following the care plan provided by the medical team. Some of the most common types of medications patients take are to target high-blood pressure, swelling relief, anemia, lower cholesterol levels, and bone protection.

Fluid Control

The team also needs to monitor a patient’s fluid intake, specifically if the kidneys start failing at stage 4 or 5 of CKD. Watching the amount of fluid a client is taking assists in not overworking the kidneys when removing the extra waste. Every person’s kidneys function differently.

Therefore, a patient’s fluid prescription looks different from another person’s fluid prescription. This could include having the person eat less salt, because the more salt a person has, the thirstier the person will become. It’s also crucial for the patient not to skip treatments.

Dietary Guidance

The team also needs to supervise the patient’s diet. This could include having a dietician on the team. Suggesting personalized meals and managing a person’s nutrients will promote kidney health. As an example, the team needs to ensure the patient is eating the right amount and types of protein. Having too little protein means the patient’s skin, hair, and nails can be too weak. Having too much protein means the kidneys will have to work harder, which can cause more damage to the kidneys itself.

Regular Monitoring

In addition, the team will consistently monitor the patient to make sure the client’s condition is stable. This includes frequent assessment, lab test coordination, and close monitoring of kidney function. Other important factors include checking the patient’s blood pressure, weight, and swelling.

It’s also important for the patient to notice any increased fatigue, shortness of breath, or changes in urination. If the team notices something is off with the patient’s symptoms, they can contact the medical team.

Emotional and Mental Health Support

The team can also provide such support by scheduling therapy and psychiatry appointments and making sure the patient is participating in social activities with family and friends. Being in a positive environment helps improve how people, with CKD, feel. The team can also encourage the patient to participate in physical activity, because exercise improves, not only mental health, but the patient’s overall condition, including better blood pressure, weight control, and sleep schedule.

Dialysis at Home

During stage 5 of CKD, a patient will need hemodialysis, which is a treatment that uses a dialyzer or artificial kidney, to do the work of the kidney. In many cases, a patient will go to a nearby center three times a week (at scheduled times) to get the treatment.

Each appointment usually lasts three to four hours or even longer. However, with the help of home care services, a person can receive home hemodialysis too. Doing the treatment at homes gives the patient more flexibility with his or her schedule.

Three types of home hemodialysis can be done in the home:

Conventional home hemodialysis: This is the normal three-times-a-week home dialysis. A trained patient and a home health staffer can safely do the dialysis and handle any issues which may arise. Training for this home hemodialysis is typically from several weeks to a few months.

Short daily home hemodialysis: The patient will do this type of treatment five to seven times a week using a new machine, which is designed for two-hour procedures. Due to the patient undergoing dialysis more often, less fluids need to be removed after each session. This method helps the patient reduce any symptoms of headaches, nausea, cramping, or feeling exhausted after a treatment. Training for this method usually takes several weeks.

Nocturnal home hemodialysis: This method involves long, slow treatments (six to eight hours) which are completed while the patient sleeps during the night. Patients can go through this type of dialysis six nights a week or every other night. (It depends on what the doctor prescribes.) This method also involves several weeks of training. In some instances, dialysis centers can monitor the treatment the patient is receiving through information that is sent from the patient’s dialysis machine to the center, either by a phone modem or the Internet.

Benefits of using the short daily and nocturnal treatments include:

Taking less medication to control a person’s blood pressure and anemia.
Not feeling as tired or “washed out” after the treatment.
Improved sleep.
Having a better quality of life.
Living longer.

Ways to Prevent CKD

There are risk factors that people can address, to prevent themselves from having CKD. For instance, one in three adults with diabetes and one in five adults with high blood pressure have CKD. Smoking can also hurt a person’s kidneys, because smoking can impact the medication used to treat high blood pressure.

In addition, smoking slows the blood flow to critical organs, such as the kidneys. Therefore, it would be a good idea to stop smoking. Other risk factors and health conditions include heart disease, being overweight, untreated urinary tract infections, or having a family history of CKD.

Caring for someone with kidney disease, or managing your own condition, can feel overwhelming at times, but with the right support and routine, home care can make a significant difference in overall health and quality of life.

From carefully managing diet and medications to monitoring symptoms and providing emotional support, each aspect of home care plays a crucial role in slowing disease progression and preventing complications.

CKD is a disease that plagues the United States; About 35.5 million American adults have kidney disease. However, many do not know they have the illness. The reason is because many attribute the symptoms they have to other causes or conditions. The best way to stay healthy is to continue to rely on your home care team for support, to see your physician, exercise, and eat a balanced diet.

For more information about living with CKD, you can call the National Kidney Foundation at 855-653-2273.

All American Home Care provides quality home care services, creating a safe and nurturing place for our clients.