Community Based Facilities Accepting Referrals from Across the Greater Toronto Area

1. Community Based Facilities Accepting Referrals from Across the Greater Toronto Area

2. Sheppard Centre

3. Sussex Centre

4. FREEDOM • One of the greatest benefits of self-care is an increase in independence. • Self-care gives control back to patients and allows them to become active in their care.

6. FLEXIBILITY • We strive to give self-care patients more flexibility with their dialysis schedules. • Patients who have completed their self-care training have the greatest flexibility because they need the nurses less during their treatment.

7. Sussex Centre

8. HOME TRAINING • Self-care dialysis provides a supportive environment and prepares the patient for a further level of independence that home dialysis requires. • We feel that self-care dialysis can be a “stepping stone” for patients considering home dialysis programs.

9. NEVER TOO YOUNG OR OLD • There are no age barriers to self-care. • We accept referrals from as young as 16 years old and have patients over 80 years young on our program.

10. Sheppard Centre

11. DISABILITY • The units are wheel chair accessible. • Patients who come to the Self Care Dialysis Centre must be physically capable of performing self care OR they may have a partner to help them.

12. TO NEEDLE OR NOT TO ? • We no longer require all patients to put in their own needles. • We continue to encourage patients to learn this skill, however, if they are unwilling or unable we will assist them with cannulation. • Often a patient will master cannulation long after the other self care skills.

13. NURSES • Prior to their arrival, the self care patients are assigned a primary nurse. • The primary nurse will review medications, blood work and treatments on a monthly basis with their patients. They also will do this more frequently if needed. • We try to maintain consistency in teaching by minimizing the number of nurses involved in teaching any one patient.

14. We like to have fun too!

15. TRAINING • The training period can last from 6 weeks to 8 weeks while you dialyze. • The nurses will continue to monitor your skills and from time to time review them with you.

17. DOCTORS • There are no on-site doctors in the units. Your doctor from the “home” hospital will remain your doctor. • Routine clinic appointments are made with your doctor(s) every two months. • Nurses attend clinics to support and help with communication.

18. TRANSPLANT • Patients who come to the Self Care Centres have the same opportunity to receive a kidney transplant as patients in the in-centre programs. • We speak directly with the transplant coordinators to get our patients on the transplant list and maintain their yearly follow-up.

19. BIKE • Patients are encouraged to participate in the exercise program and we obtain orders from your doctor to approve that you can exercise during dialysis. • There are guidelines for the exercise program that ensure that the patient remains medically stable while exercising on dialysis.

20. KIDNEY FOUNDATION • The Kidney Foundation regularly sends us notices of the programs they offer to dialysis patients. • Some of our patients are very active in the peer support program.

21. Sheppard Centre

22. Sussex Centre

23. DIALYZE WITH US ! • Please consider self-care for yourself. • We accept referrals from across the Greater Toronto Area. • We would be more than happy to speak with any patient interested in coming to our unit. www.scscdu.ca