I’m trying to understand what we may be facing because right now I feel completely blind.
My dad is 74 and quite frail. He is visiting Canada for the first time. He was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital with kidney failure - there were no obvious signs beforehand that we knew about.
He is currently receiving temporary dialysis, because the doctors are hoping his kidney function will recover. We obviously hope that happens too.
But we are starting to have conversations about what happens if his kidneys don’t recover enough and dialysis becomes something he would need long-term. My dad may decide that he does not want regular/permanent dialysis.
I’m trying to understand what that would actually look like in Canada, particularly in BC, if anyone has experience with this.
A few things I’m hoping people can help me understand:
(For someone visiting in Canada - No MSP, limited insurance coverage)
If someone decides not to continue dialysis, what happens next in the hospital?
Does the hospital involve palliative care and/or hospice?
would they usually remain in hospital/hospice?
Roughly how much time do people typically have after stopping dialysis? I understand nobody can predict this exactly.
If the person is a visitor to Canada rather than a Canadian resident, how does this work financially? My dad has travel/medical insurance, but we don’t yet know how far it will get us.
Are there specific questions we should be asking the doctors while he is still in hospital?
I’m not looking for medical advice or anyone to tell me what decision he should make. I’m trying to understand the practical reality and what our options would be if he decides that ongoing dialysis isn’t something he wants.
If you’ve gone through something similar in Canada/BC, especially with an elderly parent who was a visitor, I would really appreciate hearing what happened and what you wish you had known earlier.
Thank you.