Meet Amelia

     Amelia is an 80-year-old woman who has started peritoneal dialysis 2 years ago. She has granted permission to share her story about being on peritoneal dialysis. Despite Amelia's age, she keeps an active lifestyle with her immediate family. She enjoys cooking, spending time with her grandchildren, and taking walks. Amelia is still a very independent woman and was a candidate for CCPD. She was diagnosed with diabetes in her 50s, cardiovascular complications, and hypertension, aside from kidney failure. The doctors believed that kidney failure was caused by diabetes. Amelia was diagnosed with kidney disease after she had passed out one day. Her daughter took her to the doctor's and she was diagnosed with kidney failure. The doctors and Amelia decided that peritoneal dialysis was the best fit option for her lifestyle. Beginning peritoneal dialysis was at first difficult for her as it took her some time to understand the different ports in her body. After a few months, Amelia got the hang of at-home peritoneal dialysis. Since beginning dialysis, Amelia's health has improved immensely. She is much more active than before and is excited to see her grandchildren's accomplishments as they grow older. Her greatest downfall is her protein consumption. With peritoneal dialysis, consuming an adequate enough of protein is vital. Because she is not the biggest fan of meat, she consumes her protein through protein drinks designed for dialysis patients (Nepro). Amelia's family is very proud of her for her improved health and her drive to get healthier. They plan on inserting the ports for hemodialysis if later in life, Amelia is unable to continue on peritoneal dialysis. For the time being, peritoneal dialysis has improved the quality of Amelia's health in various ways. 

    It has been researched that compared to younger dialysis patients, geriatric patients experience more cognitive and functional effects from dialysis. There is evidence to support this claim, yet there is no reason found for this. Researchers have tried to assess life expectancy after beginning dialysis in geriatric patients but no scores were ever able to be analyzed. Hemodialysis is the most used form of dialysis for geriatric patients, which may play a role in these findings. Overall, the quality of life for geriatric patients undergoing dialysis improves but researchers are unsure why the cognitive function seems to decrease. 

Sources: 

Hoffmann, U. (2021). [Treatment of geriatric patients with end-stage renal failure : Dialysis or conservative procedure?]. Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie, 54(3), 223–228. https://doi-org.authenticate.library.duq.edu/10.1007/s00391-021-01840-8

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