Wabasca Dialysis Program

The vision of the Dash for Dialysis Relay Run

is to promote healthy lifestyles through physical activity while creating awareness, education on kidney disease and raising funds for a dialysis program in the community of Wabasca.

Indigenous populations have disproportionately higher rates of end-stage kidney disease.  Earlier onset and progression are 2-3 higher for First Nations people than other Albertans.

Kidney disease describes a variety of conditions and disorders that affect the kidney. It can range from mild to severe and in some cases. lead to kidney failure (end-stage kidney disease).

There are several risk factors for kidney disease which include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, to name a few.

Annual per patients costs for peritoneal dialysis is $56,000 and in-centre  hemodialysis is $95,000 - $107,000.   81% of dialysis patients are treated with hemodialysis and 4 out of every 5 Albertans receive in-centre hemodialysis.  

“A previous CIHI [Canadian CIHI] report determined that one in five Indigenous patients must travel more than 250 kilometres to receive treatment. Only five per cent of non-Indigenous patients must travel that distance for treatment.” 

Alberta is behind other provinces in developing a plan to promote home hemodialysis to patients that live in northern Alberta communities. 

Our community members must travel three hours (return) to Slave Lake three times a week to attend 4-to-6-hour dependent dialysis. If the Slave Lake dialysis is unavailable, arrangements  are made for clients to receive dialysis in Edmonton or surrounding area.  Providing dialysis in our communities, closer to where patients live, would reduce the burden of patients and decreased quality of life traveling three times a week.

While about 12 hours of dialysis per week is generally enough to control your symptoms, the more hours of treatment you get, the better you're likely to feel. Independent dialysis takes place at home. most people get more hours of dialysis than they would have access at a hospital or clinic.

People who do dialysis at home typically have:

• More energy

• Better health outcomes

• Fewer fluid and dietary restrictions

• Fewer medications
  
  

Independent dialysis can be a great choice for people who want to continue to work, go to school, or even travel. 

Home hemodialysis is our first step for the community to ensure we have more options as we continue to work towards a community in-centre Dialysis program

Thank you.

Please see: www.kidney.ca for more information.