For caregivers

This section focuses on caregivers for people with heart failure including but not limited to congestive heart failure. A caregiver could be a spouse, child, grandchild, sibling, parent, or friend. Sometimes a carer may be provided by the national health system or employed privately.

When a family member or friend is diagnosed with heart failure, you may experience a range of emotions. The person with heart failure will face several challenges in coming to terms with the diagnosis, learning about heart failure, its treatments, and making decisions about their care. They will also learn how to live with heart failure symptoms and any lifestyle changes that may be needed. As a relative or friend, you will also face challenges understanding the diagnosis, new medicines, and the impact on lifestyle.

Providing care and support for a person with a long-term condition like heart failure can be fulfilling. Yet, it can also be physically and emotionally exhausting. Persons with heart failure may need your help practically as well as supporting their own adjustment to living with heart failure and making decisions about treatments. This may also include a role in supporting the development of a care plan to manage heart failure and the care wishes of the person with heart failure. You may find yourself trying to support them while managing the challenges you now face, too. It is important that you are also supported in this journey. This includes not just how to support your relative or friend, but how to support yourself. If you are a professional caregiver, it is important that you understand what heart failure is, the importance of treatments, and monitoring the symptoms for change. Caregivers have an important role in recognising heart failure symptoms and preventing hospital admission.

In this section, we look at the role of a caregiver and the special challenges that you may face. We aim to provide you with some ideas and helpful tips to make your role easier. You can adapt any suggestions to your own circumstances and preferences, as your needs and experiences are unique to you.

Caregiver role:

ESC Guidelines for Heart Failure

What patients need to know

This guide for patients from the European Society of Cardiology aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.

In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

  • main types of heart failure
  • medicines used to treat heart failure
  • devices that may be appropriate
  • importance of rehabilitation
  • management by a multidisciplinary team
  • importance of self-care in managing your own condition

Learn more

AN ANIMATED JOURNEY THROUGH HEART FAILURE

A series of 9 simple, captivating animations explaining heart failure and its treatment.

These narrated animations explain how a healthy heart works, what happens to it in heart failure and how various treatments work to improve your health.

PATIENT AND CAREGIVERS VIDEOS

In this section you can watch, listen or read interviews with other people with heart failure and their caregivers.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

and share your own views and experiences with other patients, families and caregivers.

heartfailurematters.org is a European Society of Cardiology website

The heartfailurematters.org website was developed under the direction of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC is a world leader in the discovery and dissemination of best practices in cardiovascular medicine. Our members and decision-makers are healthcare professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to represent professionals in the field of cardiology in Europe and beyond.

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