Aging in hemodialysis: a grounded theory approach

Abstract

Introduction: Renal pathology is a challenge for public health with important social and economic implications. The aging of the hemodialysis population makes it necessary to review how care has been raised so far in the context of kidney disease, taking into account that older people need dialysis appropriate to their needs that differ from the general population.
Methodology: In order to explore the person-centered care and not the dialysis technique itself, a qualitative approach has been designed from the Grounded Theory, Strauss-Corbin method. The objective of this study has been to understand the situation experienced by older people on dialysis in the midst of technology and chronicity and what meanings care has for them.
Sample: Seven elderly people on dialysis in the Chronic Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis program of the University General Hospital of Valencia.
Data collection technique: Interviews recorded in audio. Chronological tran-scription and narrative analysis of the text.
Results: Older people on dialysis face a very hard situation where the ability to endure and resist the day-to-day life of dialysis will be very relevant for them and their families. The time they invest in the technique is experienced as a loss, fear The fact that vascular access presents problems is a source of anxiety and the de¬mand to be taken care of in an integral way is a claim that appears in the narratives in an evident way. Conclusions. People feel dialysis as a set of losses, but they also recognize their gain. The ability to actively endure and resist older people on dialysis is an attitude to face suffering, this attitude promotes hope in a present that allows them to live with dignity and always accompanied by family, friends and professionals attentive to their needs. Older people on dialysis open the debate about age and transplants, but above all a way of perceiving care as a value.