Innovative Program Helps People with Advanced Cardiac Disease

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 5.8 million people in the U.S. who suffer from heart failure. What is even more alarming is that one in five people who have heart failure can die within one year of diagnosis. Although these statistics are certainly daunting, there are several ways to improve the overall quality of life and make living with advanced heart disease far more manageable for patients and their families.

As a licensed RN and Clinical Manager of Admissions for Care Dimensions, the largest hospice and palliative care provider in Massachusetts, I have met with several patients with advanced cardiac health issues and witnessed how we were able to help them gain more control and better manage their symptoms. As an example, one of our patients, Sophia is an 89-year-old woman who lives at home. Sophia was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and aortic stenosis. Over the past six months, she has been experiencing increased chest pain and breathing distress. This has also caused difficulty in walking and debilitating fatigue. During this time, Sophia has been to the emergency room four times for shortness of breath, chest pain and anxiety. Naturally, she wants these frequent visits to the ER to stop, but simply doesn’t know how to manage her symptoms at home.

Help is readily available if you know where to turn. I want to inform people in our community who may be experiencing similar symptoms about a specialized cardiac care program for patients who meet the qualifications for hospice care. The program provides a customized plan to help manage the symptoms of advanced heart disease and other cardiac conditions right at home. This cardiac care plan helps patients and families learn to control their symptoms, while minimizing the reoccurrence of emergency room visits or hospitalization.

An advanced illness such as cardiac disease can be overwhelming for anyone. That’s why Care Dimensions developed this unique hospice cardiac care program that encourages collaboration between the hospice clinical team and the patient’s primary care physician and/or cardiologist to develop an optimal and personalized plan of care. The program, which is designed to reduce stress and anxiety while promoting a better sense of well-being, can include:

• Daily check-in calls
• Routine assessment visits
• Telehealth monitoring equipment
• A cardiac care team
• An on-call nurse available 24/7
• Education and resources to help patients better manage symptoms while at home

Anyone living with advanced heart disease who may be experiencing two or more of the following symptoms may be eligible to benefit from this advanced cardiac care program:

• Recurrent heart failure causing frequent hospitalizations and/or emergency room visits
• Irregular heart rhythms that are resistant to treatment
• Increased shortness of breath and/or chest pain
• A history of unexplained fainting
• Diagnosis of stroke

After Sophia and her family met with her primary care physician, they decided to enlist the support of this program. The interdisciplinary hospice team from Care Dimensions worked with Sophia and her family to determine if medical equipment, such as a hospital bed, oxygen and a nebulizer, were needed. She also elected to use our telehealth monitoring equipment which prompts her daily to take her blood pressure, weight, and answer questions about other symptoms. Her information is reviewed by a nurse and if her symptoms seem elevated, a nurse calls or visits to make modifications to get her symptoms in check before the need for an emergency room visit or hospitalization.

Today, Sophia is fully utilizing the services and support of the cardiac care program. She has already experienced a huge reduction in stress and anxiety due to the ongoing support and constant monitoring from her hospice team. She has also noticed a marked improvement in her energy levels and an important decrease in painful respiratory symptoms often associated with advanced heart disease.

Care Dimensions' advanced cardiac care program provided Sophia a customized personal assessment of her symptoms and condition, along with expert guidance and ongoing monitoring and support. This enabled Sophia to better manage her symptoms, while providing a much better quality of life and a renewed sense of independence and control.

The cardiac care program is just one of several specialized, supportive programs offered by Care Dimensions. Please visit CareDimensions.org or call 888-287-1255 for more information or to make a referral.

Happy Heart Health!

Melanie Parks, RN BSN
Clinical Manager, Admissions
Care Dimensions