Invitation from the RSA Committee

Planning for the future is something all of us should be doing, whether it be for our growing children, careers, or retirement. However, how many of us have considered planning for our renal future?

We are facing an ever-ageing population, along with a dialysis explosion from diabetes and hypertension, and then there is the difficulty accessing dialysis. Add into this equation, the struggles with chronic illness and the related aggression and depression that can be seen in both nursing staff and chronically ill patients.

How have you approached the "sticky" subjects, like sexual health, lifestyle changes, palliative care and the use of end-of-life plans and advance directives?

How do we develop and access different models of care?

How do we utilise the precious funding dollars for PD and Haemodialysis (traditional, frequent and nocturnal)?

Then there is our own aging staff population. How do we attract younger staff? What successes have we had in retaining these precious resources?

How do we ensure that the knowledge remains where it should be, with our new members?

On behalf of the organising committee for Melbourne 2006 we invite you to take the opportunity to share your knowledge, your trials, your successes, your plans, and your teams. Allow the rich wealth of knowledge amongst us to be used in planning for all of our futures.

Allyson Manley-Grant (Convenor)

Allyson Manley-Grant
Convenor