At Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care, our patients come to us with a wide variety of diagnoses, but one we see fairly often is heart disease. Every year, more than 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States. It’s the leading cause of death in both men and women.
With every patient receiving our services, we deliver the highest quality of care; however, we know that heart disease requires a specialized plan and symptom-management techniques. Because heart disease is so prevalent, and symptom management is so important, we want to share with you how we’re minimizing the effects of advanced coronary disease and keeping our cardiac patients as comfortable as possible.
Heart Disease Can Qualify Your Loved One for Hospice Care
Many people do not realize how serious of an illness heart disease truly is; it is considered terminal. A diagnosis of congestive heart failure or coronary heart disease can qualify your loved one for hospice. When a patient’s heart begins to fail, it frequently leads to other conditions that lead them to seek comfort, rather than prevention.
If your loved one receives a terminal diagnosis of heart disease, or they decide aggressive treatments are no longer beneficial or comforting, they can begin to receive hospice care. This isn’t necessarily an end-of-life situation; it means they’re deciding to no longer see their cardiologist and pursue extensive exams, surgeries, and other procedures.
At Ardent, we can monitor your loved one’s symptoms, as well as provide medications, supplies, and equipment to keep them comfortable, all while they’re in the warmth and convenience of their own home. When they’re on our hospice or palliative services, they’re less likely to need emergency medical care or visit the ER. Because our nurses know the signs and symptoms of cardiac disease, we’re able to prevent those problems from becoming serious, and if an emergency were to arise, we’re able to bring the help they need to them.
Caring for Cardiac Patients
Our care plan is always personalized to meet your loved one’s individual needs, but our main goals in caring for cardiac patients are to manage their symptoms and prevent any discomfort. We focus on controlling the disease and minimizing the risk of an emergency.
When your loved one is in our care, our nurses will go out to see them several times a week to monitor their symptoms and complete a full assessment with each visit. They know to look out for early signs of high blood pressure, fluid retention, swelling, and chest pain, and provide the necessary medication and treatment to prevent those symptoms from becoming problematic.
You and your loved one also have access to our social worker, spiritual counselor, and certified home health aide to round out the care and support we bring you. You’ll also be able to get in touch with an on-call nurse 24/7, whenever you have questions or worries. With heart disease, there are a lot of things that can happen in the middle of the night, so if anything should cause concern, someone on our team will help triage the situation or send over a nurse to deliver emergency services to your loved one in their home.
Most importantly, we want you to know that we are here for your loved one and family throughout this end-of-life journey. Whether it’s cardiac disease or another terminal diagnosis, Ardent can provide you with a customized care plan to give you and your loved one peace of mind. Contact us online or call (559) 408-5945 to learn more about how Ardent can bring your loved one an extra layer of support and comfort when they need it most.
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