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National Kidney Foundation

National Kidney Foundation

NKF PEERS Offers Mentoring and Support

NKF PEERS Offers Mentoring and Support

Learn more about NKF PEERS, a peer mentoring group designed to help CKD patients and potential living donors.


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Do you sometimes feel alone with your chronic kidney disease (CKD)? Your family, friends, and healthcare team may provide support, but many do not live daily with CKD. 

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) created a peer mentoring group called NKF PEERS to help CKD patients cope with their conditions. Learn more about NKF PEERS, including who it’s designed for and how it works.* 

Who are the NKF PEERS?

NKF PEERS are people living with CKD, as well as some who are living donors. They have learned to live well with CKD and have gone through a comprehensive training program to help support others with CKD. The NKF PEERS are not medical professionals, however, and cannot substitute for any medical professional. 

Who is this program designed for?

This program is designed to help patients who are dealing with: 

  • Being diagnosed with CKD stage 4 or 5
  • Being told they need dialysis or a transplant
  • Are considering home dialysis
  • Are having a hard time on dialysis
  • Are considering becoming a living donor
  • Have already donated a kidney and need information or support

How will NKF PEERS help me?

Having a one-on-one peer mentor to talk to is invaluable, as they can: 

  • Understand, from personal experience, what you are going through 
  • Tell their story and perspective and help you adjust to what you are facing
  • Answer your questions and concerns from a patient’s perspective
  • Help you explore treatment options
  • Suggest resources that may help

How does the program work? 

After completing a brief online form, you will be connected with a peer mentor or NKF social worker to ask some additional questions. From there, you will be matched with a peer mentor that may be most helpful to you. Communication with your peer mentor is held completely over the phone. You will be able to choose a time to connect that is most convenient for you. 

Having kidney disease or considering donating a kidney are both tough situations. You are not alone though. Talk with someone at NKF PEERS who has been there and get the support you may not receive normally. 

Can I become a peer mentor? 

If you are a kidney patient or living donor who is doing well and wants to help others, you can apply to become a peer mentor. All peer mentors must complete a 4-5 hour virtual training course. 

*NKF Peers: Talk to Someone Who’s Been There. (2022, December 9). National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/peers

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