New research has highlighted the impact dialysis is having on patients’ quality of life. Two out of five dialysis patients say they have considered stopping treatment because of how it affects their mental health. Now, Kidney Health Australia says it wants to end the need for dialysis by 2050.
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00:00For Hayley Van Hostoyen, dialysis has been life-saving.
00:06It's also been life-changing.
00:08You just have to sacrifice so much of yourself, so much of your family, you know, and it's
00:13just not fair.
00:15Diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure while pregnant with her daughter Sage, Ms Van Hostoyen
00:20spends at least 20 hours a week on dialysis and needs a transplant to survive.
00:25For the past year, she's been sharing her struggles online, from having to quit her
00:29job to spending time away from her family.
00:32Going from such a normal, habitual life doing hair as a trade and being vivacious to being
00:37stuck in a bed and not able to have any leave, really isolating as well, really lonely.
00:43Research from Kidney Health Australia shows Ms Van Hostoyen's experiences aren't unique.
00:49A survey of current and former dialysis patients found 92% reported life disruptions, half
00:55had experienced depression and more than 80% had faced financial hardship due to treatment
01:00costs.
01:01Concerningly, 39% also said they'd considered stopping dialysis because of how it impacted
01:07their quality of life.
01:09You're on dialysis at least three times a week for five hours.
01:13Kidney Health Australia wants to end dialysis as a standard treatment by 2050 and says that's
01:19possible by focusing on better detection, diagnosis and treatment for people at the
01:24early stages of kidney disease, but that requires greater investment.
01:29We have an opportunity we've never had for decades.
01:32We have new medications that combined with lifestyle interventions have been shown to
01:36slow or even stop the progression to kidney failure.
01:40I can't wait for the day that I've got minimum 20 hours a week spare.
01:44Getting to the other side, all the amazing things I'm going to do with my family.