Dialysis in Nursing Homes Must Improve

As a society, we may shy away from uncomfortable topics such as aging, death, and dying. It is difficult to imagine one’s mortality as well as the demise of their friends and family.  This often leads to difficult decisions in the moments of crisis to be even more taxing. Let’s confront these trying themes head on.  

One area of declining health is when people get the unfortunate news that their kidneys no longer are functioning to a livable capacity.  For them, this means that they will be on dialysis, most likely for the rest of their lives.  

ESRD ( end-stage renal disease) is becoming an issue of epic proportions. In the year 2018, over 786,000 Americans were living with ESRD. Of this population, 80% of patients with ESRD are age 65+.

Many people needing dialysis are in a compromised state in nursing homes. Consider that many typical dialysis treatments call for daily dialysis. This leads to more recovery time, more opportunities for complications, and a lot of costly travel time.  Thankfully, some are moving to a three day dialysis model to counter some of these issues. 
Learn how and why dialysis in nursing homes is changing in the visual deep dive below:

Dialysis in Nursing Homes