PD is a treatment for patients with severe chronic kidney failure and is used as an alternative to hemodialysis, which can only be offered in hospital and requires the patient to travel three times per week for treatment.

Offering PD in long-term care enables the resident to remain in the home while receiving treatment, freeing up more space in the hospital for patients who require in-services.

Royal Terrace in Palmerston and Stirling Heights in Cambridge are involved in the project, expressing interest due to the needs of residents.

Royal Terrace first volunteered to offer the service in 2008 when a resident already living at the home needed the support. GRH provided the equipment and training so the home could keep the resident in place.

Rose Brown, the home’s director of care, says its been a great partnership as it allows the home to increase the quality of life for residents who need extra care.

“The best part of this is being able to offer the services for those who have a chronic illness and that we are able to enhance their quality of life,” she says, adding the service has benefits for the home.

“Also, it increases the skills and knowledge of the staff as they are trained by the staff at Grand River Hospital.”

The home’s staff has embraced the project, according to Brown, who says many came in on their days off to receive the training. Sixteen registered staff is trained on offering PD. Due to space the home is currently only offering one PD bed.

Peter Varga, GRH program director for the regional dialysis program, says prior to these partnerships residents who would be eligible for PD would not be able to receive the treatment because most long-term care homes were unable to support it.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care providing funding for the partnership will enhance the quality of life for residents who will no longer have to travel to the hospital to receive hemodialysis, which is a more costly and time consuming procedure, according to Varga.

The alternative also frees up hospital space, he adds.

“We only have a limited number of machines and space to do this, so every opportunity to promote the independence of a patient supports our ability to care for those who cannot be independent.

“Capacity is always an issue.”

Varga commends the Waterloo Wellington LHIN for championing the partnerships. He credits the LHIN as providing the necessary leadership to open the doors for the health-care partners to walk through.

“It’s spectacular, I see two good things. One, they support the partnerships we need to build in health care in order to be better providers of health services because the silos just don’t work, ” says Varga.

“Two, that there is some funding to support it. It takes away all those barriers and really puts the onus back on us to (build) the partnerships so patients don’t have to go the hospital for every little bit of treatment.”

Varga adds he has already received interest from other long-term care homes in providing the service. He says the goal will be to build up a catchment of homes able to offer the service in the community.

“I am looking forward to building more relationships,” he says.

— More to come

Are you a long-term care provider that is offering integrative care? To share your story, contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, or e-mail camille(at)axiom news.ca.