Heart Failure (cont.)
End-of-Life Decisions
Heart failure tends to get worse over time. So you need to decide what kind of care you want at the end of your life. It can be hard to have talks with your doctor and family about the end of your life. But making these decisions now may bring you and your family peace of mind. Your family won't have to wonder what you want. And you can spend your time focusing on your relationships. You will need to decide if you want life-support measures if your health gets very bad. An advance directive is a legal document that tells doctors how to care for you at the end of your life. This care includes electronic devices that are used for heart failure, such as pacemakers. You also can say where you want to have care. And you can name someone who can make sure your wishes are followed. For more information, see the topics:
Other Places To Get Help
Organizations| American Heart Association (AHA) | | 7272 Greenville Avenue | | Dallas, TX 75231 | | Phone: | 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) | | Web Address: | www.heart.org | | Visit the American Heart Association (AHA) website for information on physical activity, diet, and various heart-related conditions. You can search for information on heart disease and stroke, share information with friends and family, and use tools to help you make heart-healthy goals and plans. Contact the AHA to find your nearest local or state AHA group. The AHA provides brochures and information about support groups and community programs, including Mended Hearts, a nationwide organization whose members visit people with heart problems and provide information and support. |
| | Heart Failure Society of America | | Court International, Suite 240 S | | 2550 University Avenue West | | Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114 | | Phone: | (651) 642-1633 | | Fax: | (651) 642-1502 | | Email: | info@hfsa.org | | Web Address: | www.abouthf.org | | The Heart Failure Society of America provides information and education for people with heart failure and their families. The Web site has education modules designed to help people with heart failure, their loved ones, and individuals at risk to work better with their doctors or nurses. |
| | Heart Rhythm Society | | 1400 K Street NW | | Suite 500 | | Washington, DC 20005 | | Phone: | (202) 464-3400 | | Fax: | (202) 464-3401 | | Web Address: | www.hrsonline.org | | The Heart Rhythm Society provides information for patients and the public about heart rhythm problems. The website includes a section that focuses on patient information. This information includes causes, prevention, tests, treatment, and patient stories about heart rhythm problems. You can use the Find a Specialist section of the website to search for a heart rhythm specialist practicing in your area. |
| | HeartHub for Patients | | Web Address: | www.hearthub.org | | HeartHub for Patients is a website from the American Heart Association. It provides patient-focused information, tools, and resources about heart diseases and stroke. The site helps you understand and manage your health. It includes online tools that explain your risks and treatment options. The site includes articles, the latest news in health and research, videos, interactive tools, forums and community groups, and e-newsletters. The website includes health centers that cover heart rhythm problems, cardiac rehabilitation, caregivers, cholesterol, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, and stroke. HeartHub for Patients also links to Heart360.org, another American Heart Association website. Heart360 is a tool that helps you send and receive medical information with your doctor. It also helps you monitor your health at home. It gives you access to tools to manage and monitor high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, physical activity, and nutrition. |
| | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) | | P.O. Box 30105 | | Bethesda, MD 20824-0105 | | Phone: | (301) 592-8573 | | Fax: | (240) 629-3246 | | TDD: | (240) 629-3255 | | Email: | nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov | | Web Address: | www.nhlbi.nih.gov | | The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) information center offers information and publications about preventing and treating: - Diseases affecting the heart and circulation, such as heart attacks, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, and heart problems present at birth (congenital heart diseases).
- Diseases that affect the lungs, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, sleep apnea, and pneumonia.
- Diseases that affect the blood, such as anemia, hemochromatosis, hemophilia, thalassemia, and von Willebrand disease.
|
| | National Institutes of Health Senior Health | | 9000 Rockville Pike | | Bethesda, MD 20892 | | Phone: | 1-800-222-2225 Aging Information Center | | TDD: | 1-800-222-4225 | | Email: | custserv@nlm.nih.gov | | Web Address: | www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov | | This website for older adults offers aging-related health information. The website's senior-friendly features include large print, simple navigation, and short, easy-to-read segments of information. A visitor to this website can click special buttons to hear the text aloud, make the text larger, or turn on higher contrast for easier viewing. The site was developed by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIHSeniorHealth features up-to-date health information from NIH. Also, the American Geriatrics Society provides independent review of some of the material found on this website. |
|
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions. To learn more visit Healthwise.org © 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
|