“Going Forward”: Family Resiliency in Patients on Hemodialysis

Abstract

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis and their families are faced with significant challenges. The purpose of this research was to explore the nature of resiliency in the context of the family with hemodialysis. Naturalistic inquiry was used to elicit descriptions from 15 White patients on hemodialysis and their caregivers about what it was like to live withESRDand how they managed. Being on dialysis provides an understanding of the dialysis experience, strategies and resources represent the role of support systems and resources and the tactics the family uses to maintain and restore the well-being of the family unit, and having a positive life view encompasses the “bonadaptation” of the families as they were able to maintain the integrity of the family unit under extremely adverse conditions and continue “going forward.”