Conservative Kidney Management: What You Need to Know

Living with chronic kidney disease is challenging, and some people choose not to start or to stop dialysis to focus on their quality of life. There are many important considerations, and you or your loved ones may have many questions.

Join our panel of healthcare professionals as well as people who have chosen conservative kidney management for an informative webinar where we will discuss symptom management, support systems, legal considerations, and palliative care options to help people with kidney disease and their families make informed decisions about their care.

Presenters

Jennifer Wamsley

Jennifer Wamsley is a Registered Nurse, at the Kidney Care Clinic in Calgary, Alberta located within the Sheldon Chumir Medical Centre.

This multidisciplinary outpatient clinic is committed to supporting kidney patients and their families with comprehensive care, education, and detailed monitoring. In her role, Jennifer focuses on working with conservative kidney patients, their families and community partnerships such as family physicians, home care and continuing care facilities.

Jennifer’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Her professional experience spans both inpatient hospital settings and outpatient clinic environments, equipping her with a broad range of skills and knowledge to support her patients.

Rev. Dr. Joao Matwawana

Rev. Joao Matwawana is a retired pastor, chaplain and missionary. He was active as a consultant for the Canadian Baptist Ministries in the area of Peace and Reconciliation, with Foreign Affairs Canada, and in the UN-sponsored peace talks in Burundi in 2002.

João has been awarded two Doctor of Divinity degrees, the first one from McMaster University and the second from Acadia University, in recognition of his work in Peace and Reconciliation in Canada and Africa.

In 2006 the President of Burundi Pierre Nkuruziza, cited him with appreciation for his contribution to peace in that country. In 2007 Joao and his wife Nora received the first Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award of the Baptist World Alliance. Joao was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2022 and has opted for conservative kidney care.

Ruth de Boer RN, BAH, C Neph c

Ruth has been a nurse for 37 yrs and has worked with kidney patients for the last 29 yrs.

From 2008-2020 Ruth was the Advance Care Planning Champion and lead in the Alberta Kidney Care South program. During that time frame she had also worked extensively with patients choosing Conservative Care and helped in the case management and care of these individuals.

Ruth was a key member in the development of a full day workshop on End of Life and Conservative Care for Kidney Patients that ran for over 6 years and was delivered to 700 staff members across Alberta.

Ruth is an advocate for patients exploring their wishes and helping them to understand their options and to be prepared for their health care journeys.

The Kidney Foundation would like to thank our sponsors for making the 2024 Kidney Foundation Webinar Series possible.