Jewish Home Lifecare :: Caring as individual as you

National Kidney Month

Eldercare options for seniors who need dialysis

National Kidney Month

 Jewish Home Lifecare Services for Seniors with Kidney Disease 

March is designated as National Kidney Month to raise awareness about renal disease.  Many of the 31 million American adults who currently suffer from chronic kidney disease are elderly, who already suffer from the two leading causes of kidney disease – diabetes and poorly controlled high blood pressure. 

To support elders with kidney disease, Jewish Home Lifecare opened a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the quality of life of seniors who need dialysis. 

The Hemodialysis Special Therapy Center is a modern, comfortable facility with 15 stations for on-site dialysis.  Stations are outfitted with ports for laptops, individual TV monitors, and accommodations for visiting family members or friends. The Center also provides stretcher hemodialysis, as well as a dedicated room for isolation dialysis for special clinical cases.

This cutting-edge facility is staffed by two attending Nephrologists and a Nurse Practitioner, as well as Certified Hemodialysis Patient Care Technicians.  Patients will find experienced Renal Nurses on duty 12 hours a day, six days a week, in additional to a Nurse Manager and a Renal Social Worker.  The staff Dietitian works with patients and families to monitor nutritional needs.

Dialysis Services are available to individuals in the neighboring communities with renal disease as well as to residents of the 816-bed nursing home and rehabilitation center and tenants from Kittay House Senior Apartments.

Kittay House Tenant Calls Dialysis Center a “God-Send”

Elsie G, who says she is eternally 39, moved to Kittay House Senior Apartments from Riverdale.  One of the motivating factors was the Hemodialysis Center.  During a hospitalization for heart and breathing-related issues, she learned that her kidneys were failing due to heart medication use and she’d need dialysis.  The staff suggested she look into Kittay House because of its proximity to dialysis services.

Elsie has been at Kittay House for nearly a year and is thriving because of the care and community.  She appreciates the comfort and convenience of the dialysis center for her thrice per week treatments.  She has a hired aide who wheels her to and from her treatments.  On nice days, they do the outside walk, but on cold or rainy days, they go through the connecting inside tunnel from campus to campus. During the 3.5 hour sessions, she usually watches TV – game shows: The Price is Right, Let’s Make a Deal or sometimes the news or “judge” shows.

Elsie finds that at Kittay House, where three meals are provided, she can follow her strict diet of low potassium foods and reduced liquid intake. Elsie loves to gamble — not with her health, but with cards.  On Tuesday and Sunday nights you can find her at the poker table with the men, where she reportedly holds her own. 

Elsie says of her fellow tenants, “I’ve made friends and the people I sit with for meals are all very nice.“  Best of all, “the dialysis staff are so lovely and caring. It’s a god-send. That’s why I moved here.”

Operated by Bronx River Nephro Care Inc. of New York, The Hemodialysis Special Therapy Center is located in the Greenwall Pavilion at Jewish Home Lifecare’s Bronx Division, 100 West Kingsbridge Road.

For additional information or a tour, call Rose Medina, Administrator, at 718 430-9800, or call Admissions at 718 410 1330. For information about Jewish Home Lifecare call Connections at (800) 544 0304.