Staff Assisted Home Hemodialysis

“I love this place and the staff! Now that I
can dialyze more frequently, I don’t feel tired
all the time — I feel so much better. I just
come downstairs and get in my chair,”
said SBSC resident, Lorre McDermott.
(pictured right) with Jennifer
Hermann-Castro, RN (left)

View Lorre's Story

Staff Assisted Home Hemodialysis (HHD) is being offered at St. Benedict’s Senior Community Care Center (SBSC), in collaboration with the CentraCare Kidney Program. St. Benedict’s is the first nursing home in the Midwest to have on-site kidney care services, which has brought dialysis care closer to home.

Frequent dialysis helps keep the amount of toxin and fluid build up to a minimum, which may reduce or eliminate many of the side effects patients experience.

Benefits to doing HHD more frequently:

• Less stress on the heart
• Better blood pressure control with fewer medications
• Quicker recovery time after treatment
• Improved appetite, energy and flexibility
• No transportation to and from a chronic dialysis location

"We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance quality of life," said Susan Kratzke, Vice President/Administrator, CentraCare St. Benedict's Senior Community. "There is a plethora of benefits to offering this service on-site; the biggest benefit is to those we serve, some of whom spend six plus hours a day, off-site, multiple times per week.”

“The need for comprehensive kidney care, including a kidney dialysis facility closer to home, has emerged as a growing community health need in recent years,” said David Walz MBA, RN, BSN, CNN, FACHE, CentraCare Kidney Program director. “This partnership reflects years of ongoing conversation within CentraCare and a mutual commitment to provide access to high-quality kidney care as close to home as possible.”