Dialysis Connection - Spring 2012

Dialysis Connection

years first in the world

Volume 1, Issue 2 · Spring 2012

Staying safe at your treatment We want you to be as safe as possible during your dialysis treatments. Needles in your fistula need to stay securely in place through your whole treatment. Our staff recently took a careful look at ways to keep needles from coming loose, prevent bleeding and keep you safe.

We changed from paper tape to a kind that adheres better on all types of skin. The new tape makes the needles more secure on your arm.

What can you do to help prevent needles from coming out during dialysis?

Keep your access visible to the staff at all times. This helps prevent needles from catching on clothes.

Don’t scratch at your needles and be very careful when moving around. Before you move, make sure your blood lines are not caught in the chair.

5 ways to avoid falls when you come for dialysis 1. Wear shoes with good support and non-skid soles. Keep them on, even when you weigh.

2. Bring your glasses.

3. Use your cane, walker or wheelchair.

Patient educator Marta Cayco counsels SeaTac patient Steven Smith.

Questions about your access?

Ask your nurse educator, case manager or your nephrologist as soon as possible.

4. Don’t eat during dialysis. It may lower your blood pressure.

5. Avoid using the bathroom during treatment. If you can’t wait, go by wheelchair.

Dialysis Connection

2

Check up on your medications

Damon Brown dialyzed at home before his kidney transplant on Jan. 3.

Find out more about home dialysis Have you considered how much independence you might have on home dialysis, not having to fit your treatments into a clinic’s schedule? Home dialysis allows you to take charge.

We have Next Step classes to tell you more – either about PD (peritoneal dialysis) or home hemodialysis. You’ll have a chance to ask questions, meet the home dialysis staff and tour the home training unit. You can choose to attend at our Seattle or Renton clinic.

Every three months we will ask you to bring your medicine bottles to your dialysis treatment. It helps us to be aware of all medications you are taking to prevent reactions. Knowing what medications you are on will also help your financial counselor pick the right Medicare Part D plan for you.

Remember, you can always use our pharmacy for your prescriptions. Northwest Kidney Centers pharmacists are experts in the medications you take. You can get all of your prescriptions filled at our pharmacy and we’ll deliver them at no charge.

Questions?

Talk with the staff in your center or call our pharmacy, 206-343-4870 or

To find out more or to register, contact: Home Hemodialysis 206-292-2558 or 1-877-216-2558 Peritoneal Dialysis 206-292-2285 or 1-877-292-2285

See how your dialysis center measures up Use ProPublica’s recently updated and user-friendly Dialysis Facility Tracker to compare data on the quality of care across different dialysis centers around the country: http://projects.propublica.org/dialysis/

toll-free at 1-800-947-8902.

Take charge: do your own punctures You can preserve the life of your access by doing your own punctures. By doing this, you get to know your access better than any staff member. You can feel where the needle is in your arm. Staff members in your center are trained to teach you how.

Ask them how you can start learning to do your punctures.

You can also help the staff by holding your puncture site after the needles are pulled.

This is much better than using arm clamps, because you can tell how much pressure to apply to stop the bleeding. The staff can train you to do this as well.

Dialysis Connection

3

Dialysis-friendly eating

Dine well with help from your food bank

by Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

New brochures to help you eat well Your dietitian has a new array of brochures to help you eat healthy, delicious food while on dialysis. Get more information on the topics that are most important to you. We have free brochures on potassium, phosphorus, protein, salt and lots of other useful topics. Talk to your dietitian today.

You may be eligible for food stamps or Meals on Wheels Many people don’t realize they are eligible for the state’s Basic Food Program, also known as food stamps. If your monthly income is $1,816 or less for one person, or $2,452 or less for two people, you may qualify to receive $16 to $200 a month.

If you are 60 or older, Senior Nutrition programs can help you fill out the food stamps form. Call 206-448-5767 for more information.

You can also talk with them about the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers low cost or free meals to people over 60. There is a waiting list, but it can be worth the wait because Meals on Wheels has a dialysis menu that our dietitians helped develop.

They also have senior meal sites where you can go to get a hot meal daily.

If you have trouble affording food, talk with your Northwest Kidney Centers dietitian or social worker. They can refer you to food banks, give you a brochure on best food bank tips, and give you ideas to cook and shop to stretch your budget.

Questions?

Contact our Nutrition Services department at 206-720-3990.

This menu is a guide for your dialysis diet, using foods from a food bank or supermarket to make delicious, healthy meals.

Breakfast 1 cup oatmeal ½ cup milk 2 tablespoons sugar 2 slices toast, jelly, butter or margarine

Lunch 2 slices bread ½ cup tuna (rinsed and drained) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise ½ cup milk 1 cup canned pears

Dinner ½ cup cooked lentils 1 cup rice 3 ounces chicken thigh and leg ½ cup canned green beans (rinsed) cornbread (homemade), syrup or honey 1 cup applesauce

Cooking class Sunday, May 6 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Northwest Kidney Centers Blagg Pavilion 14524 Bothell Way NE Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

www.nwkidney.org Phone 206-292-2771

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Cooking on a budget – discover the best ways to use food banks, discount markets and food stamps.

Taught by Northwest Kidney Centers dietitians.

RSVP

katie.huff@nwkidney.org or 206-720-3990

Improving our service at Northwest Kidney Centers We asked you in a patient survey last summer how we could improve the time you spend in dialysis treatment. Here are some recent steps we have taken:

1. Controlling temperature We have changed some equipment and we are keeping a careful watch on the temperature at your center. We hope you are more comfortable during dialysis with your new fleece blanket, Northwest Kidney Centers’ 50 th anniversary gift to you.

2. Improving chair comfort We replaced dialysis chairs at Snoqualmie Ridge and Renton and will replace chairs at SeaTac starting in July. We may ask you to test a firm armrest and support pillow at a dialysis treatment soon.

3. A better way to tell us about your concerns Barbara Dorris gets treatments at Northwest Kidney Centers in Kent.

Watch for updated information in your center, newsletters and patient education materials.