When someone you love begins dialysis treatment, it can be a hard adjustment for both of you. Starting dialysis can be challenging and overwhelming, both for the patient and their family members, but Health Systems Management can help. Read our top tips for family members caring for someone on dialysis below.

• Be informed. A new diagnosis like End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and a new treatment plan like dialysis can be overwhelming. Take charge of the situation by learning more about the three different types of dialysis, kidney transplants, and any other questions you may have. Take notes and ask questions at doctors appointments to make sure you’re absorbing as much of the information as possible.
• Be positive. While ESRD and dialysis are life changing, they are not a death sentence. As a caregiver, it’s important for you to remember this too. Try to keep a positive attitude to help combat sadness and depression in both you and your loved one. Staying positive can also have an impact on your loved one’s long term prognosis as research shows that patient attitudes correlate to their recovery rates.
• Set up a schedule. Dialysis treatments may throw a wrench into your current schedule, but establishing a new schedule and routine early on will help you, your loved one, and the rest of your family adapt to your “new normal.”
• Be there for them. It’s important for you to be there for your loved one through this time in their lives. This might look like physically being there to take them to and from dialysis treatments or arranging for other transportation, but it can also look like being there for them emotionally too. Even something as simple as offering a listening and sympathetic ear can go a long way.
• Take care of yourself. While it’s important for you to be there to take care of your loved one, it’s important for you to take care of yourself too. Taking on this new role can be physically and emotionally exhausting, and it’s important to know your limits. Make time for yourself, even with something as simple as a dinner out with friends or giving yourself time to work on a hobby. If you need a longer break, see if other friends and family members could step in or look into respite care options.

Health Systems Management, a dialysis management company, is based in Tifton, Georgia. Our company provides turnkey dialysis management services to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist dialysis clinics in North Carolina and Emory Healthcare dialysis clinics in the Atlanta, Georgia area. For more information about Health Systems Management, our locations and job openings for RNs, LPNs, PCTs and CCHTs please visit: healthsystemsinc.com