'Your Path Towards an Informed Decision': AKF hosts fourth annual Dialysis at Home event about home dialysis options

On Nov. 20, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) hosted its fourth annual Dialysis at Home event. Each year, this free, virtual event brings together members of the dialysis community for a full day of sessions about home dialysis. Throughout the day, attendees heard from both patient advocates and health care professionals on topics such as home dialysis options, making the switch to dialysis, mental health support, building trust and access in underserved communities and the latest innovations in home dialysis care. 

This year's event also featured two exciting new features: a virtual expo booth with AKF program staff members and small group breakout sessions for attendees to interact with other members of the kidney community.

Want to learn more about the event? Or were you unable to attend live? You're in luck! Check out the recap of some of the sessions below or watch any of the session recordings.

A day full of informative home dialysis sessions

After kicking off Dialysis at Home 2025 with an opening message from AKF's President and CEO LaVarne A. Burton, attendees heard from Dr. Rachel Perlman, a nephrologist at the University of Michigan, during the "Is Home Dialysis Right For Me? Understanding Your Home Dialysis Options" session. Dr. Perlman shared an overview of home dialysis options, discussed potential benefits and barriers and answered questions about traveling while on home dialysis and preventing infection.

In the afternoon, attendees heard from a social worker and patient advocate in the "Your Mental Health Matters: Recognizing Your Needs and Finding Support" session. Lupita Ayala, an AKF Ambassador and Kidney Health Coach®, shared how she overcame the stigma of receiving mental health support and started working with a therapist to help manage her depression and anxiety. She also explained that she was able to develop coping strategies with the support of her therapist.

Toward the end of the event, attendees learned about the latest innovations in home dialysis care during the "Advancements in Home Dialysis: A Look Ahead" session. During the session, Dr. Nupur Gupta, a nephrologist at Indiana University, and Dr. Eric Weinhandl, an epidemiologist at DaVita and the University of Minnesota, discussed new advances, such as smaller, lighter cyclers that make it easier to travel and more user-friendly interfaces on at-home dialysis machines.

Throughout the day, these three sessions and others helped attendees understand their home dialysis options, hear powerful stories from patient advocates and learn how best to advocate for themselves no matter where they were in their home dialysis journey.

Exciting opportunities to engage with the kidney community

This year, Dialysis at Home included several new opportunities for attendees to interact with others in a small group setting. During the lunch break, attendees could visit three expo booths to learn more about three AKF programs: AKF Ambassadors, Camp Connections and the Kidney Health Coach program. The expo booths allowed attendees to jump between the different programs and ask AKF staff members questions.

In addition to virtual expo booths, the 2025 Dialysis at Home event included AKF's first ever breakout sessions! During these interactive sessions, attendees were able to join one of three breakout sessions for people considering home dialysis, people currently on home dialysis and care partners. Led by patient and care partner advocates, these breakout sessions provided a small group setting for attendees to share experiences, voice concerns and share resources with each other. We look forward to bringing breakout sessions to Kidney Action Week 2026, which will be held March 2-5, 2026! 

It was another successful Dialysis at Home event! We are grateful to all who participated — both speakers and attendees. And remember, if you couldn't join live, you can still check out the recorded sessions here. 

If you're interested in learning more about home dialysis, you can also download AKF's home dialysis resources, including a home dialysis decision aid and a guide to compare and contrast dialysis options.