Learn more about
how you can support
someone living with
heart failure
Learn more about
how you can support
someone living with
heart failure
If you care for someone who has been diagnosed with HF, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the condition and what to look out for.
If the person living with HF needs to make lifestyle changes, consider joining them, as it can be easier for people to make changes together.
To get the most out of treatment, a person living with HF must follow their healthcare professional’s guidance and you can help them by reminding them to take their medicine.
You can help the person you care for by supporting them when visiting their healthcare professional. It may not always be easy for them to remember everything they want to say or ask and you can help remind them.
If the person with HF has been hospitalized, it is important to arrange regular follow-up visits with their healthcare professional after they have left hospital, to monitor their management plan and help ensure their HF does not progress further.
Patients who have follow-up visits with their healthcare professional after being hospitalized for a worsening event, tend to do better and are less likely to need to go back into hospital. To help, you might like to encourage them to keep their appointments.
Look out for worsening symptoms which the person you care for may not notice, such as:
Worsening chronic cough and wheezing
Increasing shortness of breath
Increasing swelling (fluid retention)
Increasing weight gain
Increasing need to rest or sleep
If the person you care for experiences worsening symptoms, or has any concerns, encourage them to speak to their healthcare professional.