NKF sets up mock home at Sengkang centre to help patients adjust to home dialysis

Singapore's National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has established a mock home at its Sengkang centre to assist patients in adapting to home dialysis. Among those benefiting from this initiative is Huang Bingshen, a 42-year-old patient who utilizes peritoneal dialysis (PD) during his workdays. The PD session at his private-hire vehicle is carried out for approximately 30 minutes, typically between 2pm and 4pm.

This in-car treatment is one of three daily PD sessions. Most of these sessions occur at home, with the environment mimicking a living room and bedroom within the Sengkang Community Hospital, where the NKF PD Home Experience is located. The facility, sponsored by the San Wang Wu Ti Religious Society, features equipment that allows patients to simulate the home dialysis experience under the guidance of NKF PD nurses.

NKF chairman Ang Hao Yao expressed the hope that this environment would make the transition from hospital-based training to home treatment less daunting. NKF aims to increase the adoption of PD, offering it as an alternative to haemodialysis, which is typically performed at centres three times a week for several hours. Under a three-year initiative, NKF PD nurses have aided 70 patients in beginning PD within six months, a goal set to be achieved by the end of the year.

For Huang, overcoming the fear of managing his own treatment was a significant challenge. The initial fear of being tethered to a machine drove him to consider discontinuing his treatment. However, hands-on training and regular home visits from NKF nurses helped him gain confidence. Despite the need for regular treatments, Huang remains grateful for the positive impact on his relationship with his mother, who had previously been estranged.