Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood effectively. It's common, affecting more than 5 million people in the United States alone. And it can be terrifying—not only because of the symptoms but also because of how quickly it can kill you. Luckily, there's a treatment for heart failure that doesn't involve drugs or surgery: palliative and Supportive Care.
Helps you live better with heart failure.
Palliative and Supportive Care is about supporting you and your family in making the most of the time you have left. It can help you live longer, but not necessarily by curing or treating your heart failure. Instead, palliative care helps you live better—by reducing symptoms and improving quality of life.
If you are living with congestive heart failure (CHF), palliative care may be right for you if:
- You need help managing symptoms that interfere with daily activities such as breathing or sleeping
- You want or need support from others during this difficult time
- You are concerned that treatment options may not make a difference in how long they will still be alive
Palliative care can keep people out of the hospital.
You may be able to avoid hospital stays and other costly medical treatments by receiving palliative care. If you are living with congestive heart failure, the only way for a doctor to really know what is going on inside of your body is through diagnostic testing (such as X-rays and MRIs) or invasive procedures (like cardiac catheterisation).
This means that if something goes wrong with your heart, it will likely require a trip to the hospital—and possibly even surgery. But palliative care helps keep people out of the hospital by providing them with relief from their symptoms so they can live comfortably at home once again.
You don't have to have a terminal diagnosis to get palliative care.
Even if you don't have a terminal diagnosis, palliative care is often used to help manage symptoms that are common with heart failure. You may be able to get palliative care if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Depression or anxiety
Palliative care can also be helpful for people who need support and comfort when they are going through a difficult time, like when their loved one dies. Palliative care can help you talk about what really matters most in your life and how to live as well as possible until death comes naturally.
It can help you talk about what really matters most in your life.
One of the most important things for you to do is to talk about what matters most in life. You might want to ask yourself questions such as:
- What is the most important thing in my life?
- What are my fears about dying?
- Who are the people who mean the most to me and how can I get them involved in planning for my care?
- What would I like to be remembered for, both personally and professionally?
Conclusion
The bottom line is that Palliative and Supportive Care can help you live better with heart failure. It can help you live longer and feel better. It can also help you talk about what really matters most in your life. So if you're struggling with heart failure, talk to your doctor about getting palliative care today!
