Heart Failure Awareness Week (February 12-20th) focuses on raising awareness about heart failure and finding ways for prevention and treatment. The biggest drive is in the area of education. When your loved one has signs their heart is not performing as it should, or they have an HF experience, you want the best information available about the best actions you can take going forward.

Prestige Home Care (Philadelphia, PA) participates in Heart Failure Week, knowing aging people often face this struggle yet seek independence. One way to accomplish that is by having an extra pair of hands helping with all manner of daily necessities that a person may not be able to on their own. Limitations must be honored for individuals to heal or improve their health daily. 

What is Heart Failure?

When a person’s heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should, it can lead to heart failure. One major contributor is Coronary Artery Disease, in which the arteries of the heart narrow. Another is high blood pressure that weakens the heart. 

Some heart failure doesn’t result in limitations to their daily routine. They will, however, require monitoring for blood pressure and cholesterol levels along with lifestyle changes to decrease future risks. Other types of heart failure result in weariness, labored breathing, and heart palpitations. The worst instance is when a person experiences all the symptoms of cardiovascular disease, even at rest. Some may receive a mechanical heart pump, pacemaker, or look to open-heart surgery. Unfortunately, many seniors are not suited to such aggressive options. 

Managing Heart Failure

While Heart Failure Week hopes to teach people to watch for warning signs, heart failure can sneak up on anyone. The home caregivers at Prestige understand the importance of small lifestyle changes to managing heart failure. They arrive with an upbeat, can-do attitude.

• Dietary Changes: Cut down on salt. Reducing sodium decreases water retention. Observe product labels as many processed foods have high sodium percentages. 
• Follow a treatment plan. Your medical professionals have provided guidelines for a reason. Don’t skip any part of it. One of the best allies for keeping an individual on track is a personal aid or nurse. Such professionals have emotional distance, so they’re often more effective in giving that reminder nudge than family. 
• Exercise: Physical activity goes hand-in-hand with heart health. Discuss ideas with your loved one’s physician, then share what you learn with your aid. 
• Information: find out about community resources like ours that offer sound counsel on overall wellbeing alongside heart health. 
• Support Systems: Heart failure is stressful and worrisome. Having people who support ups and downs is vital. Those people could be counselors or groups or your home service provider. 

What can Prestige Home Care Offer?

Our professionals oversee many aspects of Heart Failure Care, including:

• Advocacy
• Behavioral and emotional support plans
• Community activity and socialization
• Home modification
• Medication dispensing systems
• Personal emergency response systems
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Vet assist programs

And much more!

You can contact us for more information about caregiver options or Heart Failure Awareness Week at any time! Call 215-677-3299 or email info@prestigehca.com.