Kidney Health Community Program - Saskatchewan

The heart and kidneys are directly connected. They actually rely on each other to remain healthy and able to last for many decades. Heart problems are a risk for kidney disease and kidney failure. Anything good you do for one organ is good for the others. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with heart failure, or if you would like to know more then check out the information and resources on the Canadian Heart Failure Society website. Remember to show your heart and kidneys some love every day.

National Heart Failure Awareness Week | CHFS The Canadian Heart Failure Society (CHFS), together with a committee of cardiovascular professionals and partner organizations, is pleased to announce: 5th Annual National Heart Failure Awareness Week May 1-7, 2023

Today is May 1st, which means that it is in Canada. The theme for 2023 is .

Did you know that one in five people with chronic kidney disease is affected by depression? In fact, people with kidney disease are 3-4x more likely to have depression than people from the general population.

Living with a chronic disease such as CKD is hard and can feel very isolating. It is ok to not be ok. Reach out if you are struggling. Start a conversation that matters with somebody today. Let’s work together to reduce the by creating a culture of acceptance and understanding. Sharing our stories reminds us that we are not alone in our experiences

There are resources available to help you cope with the challenges of living with chronic kidney disease. Talk to your health care team to get you connected to mental health supports.

To get you started, check out this webinar on CKD and mental health from the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

CKD and Mental Health We are pleased to offer an ongoing series of educational webinars that cover a broad array of kidney health topics.

It is also National Immunization Awareness Week. People with chronic diseases have higher risk of serious complications from some viral illnesses. Kidney doctors and nurses recommend vaccines for pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, Hepatitis B, and shingles. How much do you know about vaccines and vaccine safety? You can visit the Immunize Canada website for current and trustworthy information and facts like: the flu vaccine does not cause the flu, and many vaccines ARE safe to get during pregnancy.

The Importance of Staying Up to Date on Routine Immunizations | https://www.healthinsight.ca/?p=37298&preview=true&_thumbnail_id=37302&token=Pibidu

ORGAN & TISSUE DONATION SAVES LIVES !!!

Leave Well | Register to be an organ and tissue donor Leave well so others can live well. Register to be an organ and tissue donor.

Did you know the first transplant in Saskatchewan, a kidney, took place over 50 years ago on December 10, 1963? Since then, over 800 kidney transplants have been performed in our province since. On average, about 50-60 people in Saskatchewan are currently waiting for a transplant, and will wait approximately 3 years to receive a new kidney. The need for organ and tissue donation far outweighs the supply.
Did you know about 40-50% of kidney transplants in Saskatchewan are made possible through living donors? To determine eligibility, healthy individuals wishing to donate a kidney must first be tested and screened based on standard criteria. A donor must be a match with a recipient, and this match requires compatibility between blood types and cell proteins. Age does not matter: Canada’s oldest organ donor was over 90 years old.

For more information on becoming a living kidney donor, check out https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/your-health/conditions-diseases-services/all-z/tissue-organ-donation/living-kidney-donation

You can also register your decision for organ and/or tissue donation through the Saskatchewan Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. All you need is your health care # and you must be at least 16 years of age. In addition, it is important to talk to your family about your decision, so they can be aware of your wishes.

Living Kidney Donation Living Kidney Donation About 50-60 people in Saskatchewan are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. On average, they will wait 2.8 years for a kidney - that's 437 dialysis treatments per person.​ Please offer hope by talking to your family about organ and tissue donation. Kidney transplants m...

Organ and Tissue Donor Registry | Accessing Health Care Services in Saskatchewan | Government of Saskatchewan Learn about how you can help save lives by registering your decision to become an organ or tissue donor.

APRIL IS DONOR AWARENESS MONTH! This Friday is Green Shirt Day, but what more important than wearing a green shirt? It's registering to be an organ and/or tissue donor, talking to your family about your decision, and learning about all the parts of our bodies that could actually be donated to save or enhance someone else's life. Do not assume your organs or tissues are no good, or that you are too old. There is no age limit, and even people with some kinds of cancers can donate their corneas! Watch the KHCP page for more information about organ and tissue donation, and kidney transplants throughout the month of April.

Fifth Annual Green Shirt Day in Honour of Logan Boulet Five years ago, the lives of 29 people, their families and their communities were changed forever. That day was April 6, 2018, when the Humboldt Broncos bus crash shook the nation with sadness. Sixteen young individuals, including defenceman Logan Boulet, lost their lives, and 13 bear physical and e...

Isn't this amazing?!? To put this into perspective, it's almost the distance from Saskatoon to Regina, or from Prince Albert to La Ronge. That's a lot of filtration tubes packed into two little organs the size of your loosely closed fists. That also means we need to protect these filtration tubes and the blood vessels that connect to them. Healthy lifestyles can keep our kidneys happy!

Each kidney contains approximately one million tiny units known as nephrons. Each nephron is formed of a very small filter called a glomerulus that is connected to a tubule. Fluid and waste products are filtered out of the blood as it passes through the nephron.

Wednesday, March 22 is World Water Day. It's a day to raise awareness of the importance of water and how the world's water can be kept clean and healthy. After all, water is life.

Now, about those kidneys. Are you someone who knows you don't drink enough water, but find it difficult to change? Have you wondered how much water you need every day, but can't seem to find a consistent answer? Here is a link to some trustworthy information from the Mayo Clinic. You will find all the facts here and may even be surprised by some of the answers. Challenge yourself to drink one more glass of water tomorrow!

How much water do you need to stay healthy? Know how much water to drink to stay healthy and hydrated.

It's dietitians week! In fact, yesterday was National Registered Dietitians Day. Nutrition is an important part of preventing and managing all chronic conditions. When it comes to the kidneys, reducing your dietary salt intake can help lower blood pressure and put less strain on your kidneys. We visited the First Nations community of Red Earth yesterday, and were asked "How can I lower the salt in my diet when all I've ever used for cooking is salt?" What a great question! It's something that many people wonder. Has your healthcare provider suggested that you lower the amount of salt in your diet? Do you wonder how anything will even taste good without salt? Check out this link to an excellent source of ideas and ways you can try new flavours when you prepare your food. It doesn't need to cost a lot of money either. Send us a message and let us know what you've tried!

www.albertahealthservices.ca

Our Kidney Health Program Saskatoon staff "showing off their kidneys" for (March 9).

1 in 10 people worldwide are affected by chronic kidney disease. Are you at risk? Take the quiz on the Kidney Foundation of Canada: Saskatchewan Branch website: https://kidney.ca/Kidney-Health/Newly-Diagnosed/Risk-Factors/Are-You-at-Risk

It's World Kidney Day today!! How much do you know about the kidneys? Test your knowledge with this short quiz:

Kidney Quiz - World Kidney Day Like most websites, World Kidney Day uses cookies. In order to deliver a personalised experience, we remember and store information about how you use the website. This is done using simple text files on your computer called cookies. These cookies are completely safe and secure and will never contain...

Oh hey everyone, Stacey here and happy Monday!
Are you wondering how the foods you eat can affect your kidneys? First of all, know that there is no single food that will cure or prevent progression of kidney disease. The overall dietary pattern you follow is more important than the individual food choices you make. A good place to start is by paying attention to the amount of salt, or sodium, you consume. Most people consume way more than the current recommendations of less than 2300mg a day. High sodium intake can increase blood pressure, cause your body to hold on to extra fluid, and can be really hard on your kidneys.
A good strategy for reducing your salt intake is by focusing on “adding in” lower sodium foods throughout your day. Incorporating fresh vegetables and fruits into meals you already make, experimenting with flavorful herbs and spices, and swapping processed/deli meats like ham, sausages or bologna for fresh or frozen (no salt added) meats like roast beef, chicken or pork loin can make a huge impact on your day to day sodium intake.

For more information on nutrition and kidney disease head over to: https://www.kidneycommunitykitchen.ca/

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) happens when there is damage to the kidneys that causes the kidneys to not work well. Kidney damage often happens slowly over time and is irreversible. Most people with CKD have little to no symptoms until 80% of kidney function is gone.

Did you know 1 in 10 Canadians has kidney disease?

Are you wondering about your risk for developing kidney disease? Take a few minutes to answer these 10 questions. The answers will help you know if you should talk to your health care provider about having your kidney function checked:

https://kidney.ca/Kidney-Health/Newly-Diagnosed/Risk-Factors/Are-You-at-Risk

https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVEIZCBEXFHOU/home/
The Kidney Foundation of Canada is hosting their third annual virtual education forum, next week March 8 and 9. Click on this link and you will be taken to their website and the registration page. There are a variety of speakers over the two days, covering everything from travel when you need dialysis, to cooking demonstrations with a registered dietitian. There seems to be something for everyone! We are definitely tuning in to several of the sessions.

PheedLoop Web site created using create-snowpack-app

It is March 1, and that means it's KIDNEY MONTH! Keep watching our page for information and events that are everything kidney. March 9 is World Kidney Day, so there will probably be a very special post next week on Thursday.

From the bottom of our kidneys,
~The Kidney Health Community Program Team~

December 1 is both World AIDS Day and the beginning of Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week ( ). This year’s theme is . As a country, we cannot respond to HIV without addressing the underlying social determinants that place Indigenous people at greater risk of infection.

Did you know that Saskatchewan has the highest yearly average diagnosis rate for HIV out of all the Canadian provinces (16.9 for every 100,000 people). In 2021, there were a record 237 new cases.

Much like chronic kidney disease, there are no obvious symptoms of HIV. The only way to know your status for sure is to get tested.
Find out more at:

Persons Living With AIDS Network of Saskatchewan

‘Tis the season, Cash 4 the Holidays is back and you could win up to a HALF MILLION DOLLARS. Visit Cash4theHolidays.ca from December 1 – 8. It’s an incredible opportunity for someone in Saskatchewan to win up to a HALF MILLION DOLLARS while supporting all those impacted by kidney disease and organ donation in our community.

Kidney Foundation of Canada | Cash 4 The Holidays 50/50 raffle Cash 4 The Holidays charity 50/50 runs from December 1-8, 2022. Purchase your tickets for a chance to win up to a half million dollars! The draw will take place Friday, December 9 with proceeds benefiting The Kidney Foundation of Canada. See Cash4theHolidays.ca for full rules and details.

Ever wonder how your doctor or nurse practitioner checks your kidneys? This is one part of it--the blood test.

professionals use a formula to estimate the Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). Reliable estimates of GFR are important for identifying , which often has until the later stages of the disease.

Only a few more days left of National Addictions Awareness week. Did you know harm reduction is a critical part of addictions treatment and management? If you have 3 minutes to spare, watch this informative whiteboard video about harm reduction. We learned a few new things and we hope you will too!

What is Harm Reduction? This video explains what harm reduction is and how it benefits people who use drugs, as well as their families and communities.Harm reduction acknowledges th...

It’s the 3rd week of November—that means it is National Addictions Awareness Week. The Kidney Health Community Program has been privileged to conduct kidney/heart/blood vessel health workshops with addictions treatment programs all over central and northern Saskatchewan. We have been a part of regular treatment programming for many years at the Calder Center, Métis Addictions Council, and Saskatchewan Impaired Drivers Treatment Centre. We’ve met so many great people at these workshops, and been trusted with some difficult but inspiring stories. It’s never too late to make a positive lifestyle change. Seeking out and following through with addictions treatment and recovery could be one of the most positive lifestyle choices ever! For more information about this subject, check out the Canadian Mental Health Association or the Canadian Centre for Addictions websites. This week why not make a point of learning something new about addictions and recovery—reduce the stigma!

It’s National Addictions Awareness Week Nov. 20-26! For we’re highlighting our , with different resources to help with harms related to substance use. Find resources to share your story at https://bit.ly/3LU83Lt

Du 20 au 26 novembre, c’est la Semaine Sensibilisation Dépendances 2022! Nous mettons en lumière notre et proposons des outils pour réduire les méfaits liés à l’ . Pour des ressources pour partager votre histoire: https://bit.ly/3zEHDIK

Preventing and managing diabetes is one of the best things you can do for your kidneys! Give this article a read from Diabetes Canada. November is World Diabetes Month ❤

Understanding diabetes and the risk of complications If left untreated, high blood sugar levels may put you at risk of complications. The good news? By taking action to help manage your diabetes, you can delay or prevent complications.

Do you struggle with body dissatisfaction and preoccupation with weight and appearance? If so, you are not alone. The concept of physical appearance as a marker of success and belonging is so pervasive in our culture that few of us remain unscathed. Having a chronic health condition such as kidney disease can further complicate body image issues and impact self-care.

Our friends over at the Kidney Foundation of Canada are hosting a webinar on "Body Image and Self Esteem" with a focus on Women's Health. Be sure to check it out at the link below, and join them November 3rd for an interactive session with perspectives from women living with kidney disease.

Body Image & Self Esteem: Women’s Health The Kidney Foundation of Canada is committed to achieving excellent kidney health, optimal quality of life, and a cure for kidney disease.

In our community education work, we are often asked questions about having only one kidney. "Do I have kidney disease if I was born with one kidney?" or "How could someone be healthy if they donate one of their kidneys?" Take a few moments to read the information provided in this link to the Kidney Foundation of Canada--you'll learn some interesting facts!

Living with One Kidney The Kidney Foundation of Canada is committed to achieving excellent kidney health, optimal quality of life, and a cure for kidney disease.

September 11-17 is "LIVING DONATION WEEK 2022". Check out the information about living kidney donation from Canadian Blood Services. We know a few people whose lives have been changed for the better, both by being a recipient and by being a donor. 💚

https://www.blood.ca/en/organs-tissues/living-donation?utm_source=livingdonation&utm_medium=multi&utm_campaign=national-stem

Living Organ Donation with Canadian Blood Services Most of us are born with two kidneys. However, a healthy person can live a normal, healthy life with just one. This means that a healthy person can give a kidney to someone whose kidneys aren’t working. This gift is living kidney donation. Healthy adults may also be able to become living liver don...

We've been on vacation, but we are back at work! Have soft drinks been your beverage of choice in the summer heat? These beverages are meant to be "sometimes" drinks rather than a huge part of your daily fluid intake. Try to limit the amount you drink and choose water or milk more often.

that drinking two or more sodas a day doubles the risk of . Water consumption is key to good kidney health, and if you’re drinking so much soda that you’re replacing your daily water intake with soda, then you’re putting your health at great risk.

We don't have any 40 deg C temps in the forecast, but it may get pretty warm this weekend. Be safe in extreme heat....dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke no matter what your age or state of health. Take extra special care if you have a heart or kidney condition.

Body temperatures in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit/ 40 degrees celcius will cause significant problems for the . Dehydration will lead to low blood pressure and decreased kidney function. If you have someone who is warm and confused or delirious, not making any urine and breathing rapidly, you must get them to a cooler environment.