Take steps to keep your heart healthy

Even though February, as American Heart Month, has passed, it?s still prudent to take preventative measures to care for your cardiovascular system and learn more about living with cardiac disease.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 5.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from heart failure and one in five people who have heart failure will die within one year of diagnosis.These statistics can be daunting, but for those living with advanced cardiac disease, there are ways to improve quality of life and make each day more manageable.Take “Sofie,” for example, an 89-year-old woman living at home, diagnosed with congestive heart failure and aortic stenosis. Over the last six months she?s been experiencing more chest pain and breathing distress, has had difficulty walking, and suffers from debilitating fatigue. During this time she?s been to the emergency room three times for shortness of breath, chest pain and anxiety. She wants to stop the back and forth visits to the emergency room, but she and her family don?t know how to manage her symptoms at home.For Sofie, and patients like her, Care Dimensions has developed a specialized cardiac program that provides a customized care plan to help patients and caregivers manage the symptoms of heart disease and other cardiac conditions at home while minimizing the reoccurrence of medical crises that typically require emergency room visits or hospitalization. The benefits of this program are many and include:? Daily assessment visits or phone calls.? Access to Telehealth monitoring equipment.? A cardiac care team made up of interdisciplinary team members.? On call nurse available 24/7.? Access to the Kaplan Family Hospice House for acute chest pain, shortness of breath to avoid ER visits and hospitalizations.? Education and resources, including a flowchart to help patients better manage symptoms at home.This unique program encourages collaboration between the hospice clinical team and the patient?s primary care physician and cardiologist to develop an optimal plan of care. Another important aspect of the program, designed to reduce stress, aid in relaxation and promote a better sense of well-being is the inclusion of complementary therapies, such as massage, pet therapy, Reiki and expressive art or music therapy.Who is eligible? Typically people with advanced heart disease who have any two of the following symptoms are eligible for the cardiac program through Care Dimensions:? Recurrent heart failure causing frequent hospitalizations and ER visits? Irregular heart rhythms resistant to treatment? Increased shortness of breath and chest pain? A history of unexplained fainting? StrokeAfter Sofie and her family met with her physician, they decided to enlist the support of Care Dimensions. The interdisciplinary hospice team from Care Dimensions worked with Sofie and her family to determine if medical equipment, such as a hospital bed, oxygen and nebulizer were needed.They monitored Sofie?s condition daily to make medication adjustments and stay on top of her symptoms. Sofie?s family reported a feeling of relief once she entered the cardiac program due to the ongoing support and monitoring from the team. In addition, Sofie noticed an improvement in her energy level and a reduction in symptoms associated with her disease.When advanced illness, such as cardiac disease overwhelms, it takes a unique medical provider to respond at such a sensitive time. It requires an array of health care services coordinated by skilled, confident caregivers. If you would like to learn how we can help you or a loved one live with advanced cardiac disease, call 888-283-1722 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit www.CareDimensions.org.Stephanie Patel, MD, is Care Dimensions? vice president and chief medical officer.