Kidney Disease & Hospice
How Hospice East Bay helps people living with Kidney Disease
Support for Patients
- Managing medications to ease symptoms like nausea, itching, shortness of breath, and discomfort caused by fluid buildup.
- Pain management and anxiety relief to ensure physical and emotional comfort.
- Providing hospital beds, oxygen, and other tools to enhance comfort and safety.
- Support with managing fluid retention and maintaining a dignified quality of life.
- Our Bruns House inpatient facility provides short-term intensive treatment in a homelike setting for management of uncontrolled symptoms.
Support for Families & Caregivers
- Teaching families how to recognize and manage symptoms such as confusion, nausea, or discomfort.
- Preparing families for what to expect as kidney failure progresses and offering guidance on care decisions.
- Emotional and spiritual care to help families navigate the challenges of end-of-life care.
- Offering tips on nutrition and hydration to maximize the patient’s comfort.
- Hospice staff are available around the clock to answer questions, provide advice, or address emergencies, ensuring families feel supported at all times.
Support for Veterans
- Hospice East Bay’s Veteran-Centered Care program helps veterans living with kidney disease by addressing the unique challenges they may face due to military service, such as navigating the VA healthcare system, and ensuring they have access to programs that provide caregiver support and compensation.
- Veterans with kidney disease may not have it as a presumptive condition for benefits, but kidney cancer or other related health issues could qualify for support.
- Hospice or palliative care teams can help veterans navigate VA resources and ensure they receive appropriate benefits and care.
How to Qualify
Hospice Care helps people living with advanced kidney disease when their health is significantly declining. You or your loved one may qualify for hospice care if:
- You have chosen not to start dialysis or have decided to stop ongoing dialysis treatment.
- Lab results show very poor kidney function, including:
A filtration rate (GFR) less than 10 - High creatinine levels (above 8 for most patients, or above 6 for diabetics)
- Very low urine output
- Fluid buildup in your abdomen or other areas (edema) that doesn’t respond to treatment.
- High potassium levels in your blood
- Confusion, nausea, or other symptoms caused by kidney-related toxins (uremia)
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Cancer
- Low protein levels (serum albumin)
Hospice care focuses on comfort and quality of life, offering support for patients and their families during the final stages of kidney failure. If you’re unsure whether hospice care is the right step, a hospice team can assess your situation and provide guidance.
How Palliative Care Can Help
- Emotional and psychosocial support includes counseling to address anxiety, depression, or fear related to the disease.
- Symptom management and relief focuses on reducing pain and other challenging symptoms while enhancing the patient’s overall quality of life.
- Goals-of-care discussions identify what it means for the patient to live well—their goals, values, and treatment preferences—to support informed decision-making by patients and families.
- Care coordination with the appropriate specialists (such as oncologists, neurologists, or primary care providers) to align treatment with the patient’s goals and evolving needs.
- Transition planning for when curative treatments are no longer effective or meeting the patient’s goals and values.
- Future planning and advance directives involve supporting patients in designating healthcare decision-makers and completing medical and legal planning documents.
Hospice East Bay ensures that patients with Kidney Disease receive compassionate, tailored care while families feel supported, educated, and prepared for the journey ahead.
Talk to A Nurse about Hospice Care
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