Pre-Transplant Patients

If You are Waiting for a Kidney Transplant

The Transplant Companions program can assist you with preparations and counselling while waiting for a kidney transplant. Facilitated by health care professionals and patients who have experienced the procedure, this program will provide you and your family with the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of an "interactive workshop" where you will be encouraged to ask questions and express your concerns.

Program Highlights

Pre-transplant

• Opportunity to speak and share information with a trained transplant health care facilitator, a post-transplant patient and other individuals with kidney disease
• Patient-friendly support materials
• Suggestions on how to talk to your family members and colleagues
• Questions to ask your doctor and/or transplant team

Post-transplant

• What to expect after the surgery
• Watching for and preventing complications (such as infections) after kidney transplantation surgery
• Accurate information on medication including side effects and long-term use

Patient Education Resources

The following resources will be available to you from the Transplant Companions program:

Interactive Workshops

These two-hour interactive workshops are the cornerstone of the program, aiming to provide pre-transplant patients with the information and support necessary to prepare for a transplant. The workshop setting promotes an informal peer environment to ensure you will be comfortable asking questions while learning about your upcoming transplant.

These workshops are usually held in hospitals and dialysis centres where a facilitator and a post-transplant patient get together with a group of pre-transplant patients like you, to go through all of the stages of a kidney transplant procedure. Information, exercises, tips and support are all part of this workshop.

Companion Workbook

At the interactive workshop, you will receive an easy-to-read workbook, which includes useful information on transplantation, how to prepare for surgery and what to expect afterward. This workbook also includes activities such as how to write a letter to the family of the organ donor, what to bring to the hospital, questions to ask your transplant team and much more.

Interested in attending a Transplant Companions workshop? Click here for more information.