Top Ten Holiday Gift Ideas for the Hemodialysis Patient

Dialysis patients require special consideration for holiday gift giving. They are forced to sit tethered to a machine for about four hours a day, three days each week. These twelve hours each week provides them the opportunity to do simple things like read or watch television, but not much else.

Another consideration is that many dialysis patients have a long commute to a center. Some drive themselves while others are driven on medical buses or transports. If they are transported that's even more time just sitting around where they would like to have something to do.

Dialysis requires one to generally hold an arm out for the connection of the machine into the arm, so some patients have limited mobility during the procedure. Other patients receive their dialysis through a port in their chest or leg and have the use of both hands and arms during the procedure.

For dialysis patients with limited mobility I would highly suggest the following practical gifts to make them more comfortable:

1. Small Pillow. We all know how uncomfortable it is when you go to the doctors office and have to rest your head on one of their yucky pillows. Dialysis patients often lay down for four hours and can use a nice soft, personal, pillow for this time. Small pillows are better because they are easier to transport.

2. Small Blanket. Medical settings can often be cold and when the dialysis patient is laying in one area for a long time they tend to get chilled. A small fleece blanket is great for this time because it can easily be transported to the center, and it is warm enough to keep the chill off.

3. Tote, Duffel Bag or Backpack. Dialysis patients generally have to cart their pillow, blankets, books, iPods, etc… back and forth between their homes (or vehicles) and their treatment center. Having a nice tote or other kind of bag can make this a lot easier on them. It's nice to have all of their stuff in one place and just be able to grab that one bag and go. At the end of their treatment they can pack up their bag and then it is good to go for the next treatment day.

4. Paperback Books. Most all dialysis patients, as long as they still have good sight, like to have things to read during their transportation and treatment. Paperback books are light and entertaining. Paperback books make good gifts and are inexpensive enough that they can be purchased and then shared with the other patients.

5. Magazine Subscription. Another wonderful option would be a subscription to the patient's favorite magazine. Magazines are easy to read even when there are some interruptions and distractions around you. The magazines can be read in many short time periods and are perfect for the treatment setting. Again, when the patient is done with the magazines they can pass them along to the other patients.

6. Snacks. Many dialysis centers try to be like a "home away from home" for their patients. Unlike a typical medical office or hospital, the dialysis patient spends a lot of time sitting in the center. For this reason many centers allow their patients to snack, read, watch TV and other things while they are there. Dialysis patients should not eat chocolate and if also diabetic they should not eat candy. However, things like salt-free nuts and other low sugar, low salt snacks make good options. (I am not a medical doctor and you need to ask the patient for suggestions of what they can eat. This varies by patient.)

7. IPod, MP3 Player or CD Player. Listening to music can help pass the time. An iPod, MP3 player or CD player can be a perfect gift. These allow the patient to drift off into their music and ignore the sounds of the center and the other patients.

8. Subscription to Online Music Download Service. Along with an MP3 player, or an iPod type device, a perfect gift would be that of an online download site where you pay a certain amount of money each month and they can download as many songs as they like.

9. CDs. Another option would be to purchase CDs of the patient's favorite music. These can be played on a traditional CD player, or they can be ripped on their PC and transferred onto an iPod or MP3 player.

10. Kidney. Honestly, all kidding aside, the best gift anyone can give a dialysis patient is a new kidney. Either as a live donor or as a gift at the time of death. Consider donating your organs. You can and will save a life!