Geriatric rehabilitation for patients with chronic kidney disease. What is suitable for whom?

Patients with chronic kidney disease have a relatively high risk of typical geriatric problems, such as frailty, which increase with the degree of renal insufficiency. These are associated with a poorer quality of life, increased morbidity and mortality and are therefore relevant for treatment. To identify these, the first priority is a geriatric screening and if positive, a comprehensive assessment to elicit and evaluate deficits and resources. Depending on the situation, different rehabilitative options are now available in acute care clinics and geriatric rehabilitation clinics, both as inpatient and outpatient. What they all have in common is a structured treatment by a multidisciplinary geriatric team in addition to treatment of the acute illness, if necessary. Initial results show that patients with chronic kidney disease benefit from such rehabilitative measures to a similar extent as patients with healthy kidneys, regardless of the stage of the renal insufficiency.