| [ Summary ] |
The number of elderly dialysis patients is increasing. These patients' family structures have changed as well. It has become more difficult for these patients to care for themselves, because the number of homes occupied only by senior citizen has increased. Many dialysis patients and their families are under stress and need to be taken care of. To help dialysis patients and their families, nurses must understand the familial relationships involved by considering them as a unit, communicating with all of them, to earn their trust. Through this process, we can discover what patients and their families really need, and devise means to help them. The family's emotional stability must be maintained so that the patients' families may support him / her. For families who have senile dementia patients to care for, nurses should provide training to, offer mental support, and advise them in the use of social resources. |