Relief for Patients and Staff: Donors Fund New Dialysis Chairs at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital

Thanks to the generosity of community donors, our dialysis unit is equipped with six new motorized chairs, enhancing our patients’ comfort during their sometimes-lengthy sessions.

For patients managing kidney disease, dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment. At Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital, this service is supported by Providence Health Care’s two dedicated Specialty Trained Hemodialysis Registered Nurses, with the unit operating three days per week at full capacity. Over the course of 2024, the team provided 1,592 life-sustaining dialysis treatments.

The new chairs have already made a noticeable difference for both patients and staff. When asked what differences they notice in patient well-being compared to the old chairs, Dennis Villanueva shares, “The new chairs make a noticeable difference, patients are more comfortable and no longer leave with the aches and pains they used to feel after hours of treatment”. Dialysis patients themselves echo this, sharing “Now I can sit through more than four hours of treatment without discomfort!”

From a caregiving perspective, the motorized features make a big impact. Nurses describe the benefits as, “These chairs mean a much lower chance of musculoskeletal injuries when we’re repositioning, moving, or adjusting patients.’”