Renal disease can raise your risk for heart attacks, stroke, and kidney failure. While some people with renal disease, also called kidney disease, only experience mild symptoms, others may be unable to live independently because their renal disease is severe and debilitating. If you have renal disease and need assistance, consider the following senior home care services to help you cope with your condition and enhance the quality of your life. 

Symptom Monitoring And Reporting

Your senior home care services professional can monitor you for signs and symptoms of renal disease progression. These may include edema (swelling) of your face, abdominal area, arms, legs, and feet. You may also lose your appetite and experience nausea and vomiting. Even though you may not have an appetite and have decreased your caloric intake because of severe nausea, you may be gaining weight. This may be the result of renal failure and subsequent fluid retention.

If you develop any of these signs and symptoms, your senior home care provider can notify your family, friends, and your primary care doctor, who may ask that you visit the office for a checkup. If you are unable to drive to your appointment, your caregiver can take you there.

Diuretic Administration And Intake And Output Assessment

If you are too sick to take your diuretics, your senior home care services professional can administer them. Diuretics are sometimes called "water pills," because they help prevent fluid retention by increasing urination. If you have late-stage renal disease and you are taking diuretic medications, your physician may want your intake and output strictly monitored. This means that all fluids that you take in by mouth or intravenously and excrete via urination are monitored.

Your caregiver can simply keep track of your intact and output by jotting the amounts down on a piece of paper or they can request special intake and output forms from your doctor's office. Your caregiver can send your intake and output results to your doctor via email, text, or by calling the office. If you are retaining fluid and not urinating normally, your physician may increase the dosage of your diuretic medication or recommend a low-sodium diet.

If you are ill because of renal disease and are unable to care for yourself, contact a senior home care services agency to learn more about their services. Once you have all the information you need, you can schedule a time for a caregiver to come to your home to further discuss your needs.