ROBYN EDIE/FAIRFAX NZ Invercargill man Bill Veth hooking up to his own dialysis machine at home. After living out of a motel in Dunedin for a year, Invercargill man Bill Veth says there is nothing more luxurious than putting his feet up back at his own home.About eight years ago 68-year-old Veth started suffering from kidney failure, which left him dependant on dialysis.Since his diagnosis, he has tried many different methods of dialysis, including one that had him hooked up to for ten hours every night. All while working fulltime."I hooked it up at 8pm at the latest because I had to be up at six, it didn't suit me."Veth spent a year living part-time in Dunedin having five hours of dialysis, three days a week."I didn't know anybody in Dunedin except for the nurses," he said.Dialysis is the clinical purification of blood, which works as a substitute for the normal function of the kidney.His life has changed for the better since getting a hemodialysis machine installed in his house. Spending 15 hours a week hooked up to dialysis was not straightforward, but having the machine at home was a big comfort, he said.He watches television, keeps a thermos of coffee beside him and has the control for the heat pump if he gets too cold. The system suits him, but the time did drag on, he said,"You get a bit tired of it. The last hour seems to take three times as long, it seems forever." Veth has an entire room at his house dedicated to his medical supplies, which he orders once a month.Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) support worker Leanne Nieborg-Reid visits Veth three times a week to assist with his dialysis. Having a machine at home made a world of difference to Veth, she said.Veth moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1966 and after living in Canterbury, moved to Southland in the late 1970s. He worked as a commercial painter before he retired in December 2012.Only four months later, with very little warning, Veth's wife died suddenly of lung cancer."She came home from work and couldn't see out of one eye, she went to the doctor the next day and she passed away a few weeks later."I never expected it to happen so quick but I'm glad that she didn't suffer."Before moving to New Zealand, Veth worked in the Netherlands merchant navy and still misses life on the ships. Despite living an active life until recent years, he was now just grateful for what he could do. He cannot travel far, because he needs to be back in Southland for dialysis, but his in-home care represents freedom for him. It gives him opportunities, like a weekend trip to Dunedin with his friends to watch the rugby and have dinner out.RDNS media and communications specialist John Allin said organisations such as RDNS have to remain nimble in the changing face of the health system."There are three big problems the health system faces, one is that people are living longer and also they are living longer with chronic disease."Governments all over the world are grappling with the challenge of making sure their aging populations are looked after."It was because of these problems that it was so important that people like Veth could stay at home in familiar surroundings, he said.  - The Southland Times Next News story:

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