Cardiac care at home

What is congestive heart failure?
Congestive heart failure occurs when a person's heart cannot pump enough blood and the body becomes congested with too much fluid. Congestive heart failure is usually caused by coronary artery disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, or problems with heart valves, including infections.

How is it treated?
Anyone with congestive heart failure requires constant treatment. In some cases, a hospital stay is necessary. After hospital care, the doctor may also recommend home health care for some patients.

While the patient is in the hospital, the doctor works first to reduce the fluid in the body and reduce the demand on the heart.

The doctor sends the patient home when the medical situation has been accurately diagnosed and a treatment plan has been developed.

How can Sta-home help?
1. Safely transition from hospital to home.
Working closely with each patient’s doctor, the Sta-home team ensures a safe transition from hospital to home for cardiac patients. They then make sure that the treatment plan started in the hospital continues smoothly in the home. This means plenty of education for both patient and family members.

2. Help implement an involved treatment plan.
The treatment plan consists of many parts, one of which is reducing demand on the heart so it doesn't have to work too hard. It often involves medication and usually requires lifestyle and diet changes as well. Sta-home offers valuable information and support in each of these areas.

Lifestyle and Dietary Concerns
Sta-home can help cardiac patients with:

• Weight control
• Smoking cessation
• Watching alcohol consumption
• Becoming more active in and around the home
• Learning how to make a low-salt/low-sodium diet work

(Eating less salt is an important part of dealing with congestive heart failure. Salt and foods containing sodium can cause the body to retain water.)

Prescription Drug Education
Doctors prescribe different medications to help deal with problems caused by congestive heart failure. Understanding prescribed medications and how to use them properly is critical for both patients and their family.

• Sta-home provides educational material for each patient’s medications.
• Our staff is available 24 hours a day for questions.

3. Help patients and family members spot warning signs.
With the help of the staff from Sta-home, cardiac patients and their family members learn to spot key warning signs to help them know when to call the doctor:

• Swelling in feet and ankles
• Weight gain of 2 to 4 pounds in a week
• Coughing at night
• Shortness of breath at night causing person to sit up
• Increased shortness of breath at rest or with exercise
• Urinating less often
• Dizziness
• Tightness in chest

Clear communication and cooperation among doctors, patient, family, and the home health care team are essential for properly treating congestive heart failure.