Managing Heart Disease: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers

Living with heart disease can require a lot of time and energy — not only from the patient but also from their caregivers. From scheduling and attending appointments and managing medications to organizing questions for their care team, managing a heart disease diagnosis takes a team effort.

Keep reading to learn more about managing heart disease, including daily management, the importance of cardiac rehab, how caregivers can help and answers to common questions.

Prioritize Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation is a supervised program that includes physical activity, education about healthy living and counseling to find ways to relieve stress and improve mental health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that cardiac rehabilitation decreases the fatality rate by 35% in the five years following a heart attack, which makes participation all the more important.

Cardiac rehabilitation also strengthens the heart and body after a heart attack, relieves symptoms of heart problems, such as chest pain, helps you build healthier habits and prevents future illnesses caused by heart disease. But it’s important to know that cardiac rehabilitation requires a referral; it isn’t something you can sign up for on your own. If you’ve recently had a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart disease, ask your cardiologist whether cardiac rehabilitation is right for you.

Managing Heart Disease

The approach to managing a heart disease diagnosis is similar to preventing it. However, surgical interventions may be needed in more severe cases. For patients with high cholesterol, both medications and lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of it worsening. If you have high blood pressure, your care team may recommend lowering your sodium intake to help regulate it. If you have heart disease and diabetes, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes along with careful blood sugar monitoring.

Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to prevent and manage heart disease. It helps you maintain a healthy weight and lowers your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. But with a heart disease diagnosis, how much and how hard you push yourself should be determined by your doctor. That’s why cardiac rehabilitation includes supervised physical activity.

How Caregivers Can Help

The role a caregiver can play may seem simple on the surface, but it has a profound impact on the patient and the quality of their care. Here are just a few ways that caregivers can help:

• Ask the questions: Sometimes, patients may either forget or not know what questions to ask during their appointment. A caregiver can come prepared with a list of questions to ask the doctor to cover their bases.
• Be the second set of ears: Two people remember more from an appointment than one, and the patient receiving the news will likely have a harder time retaining all the information.
• Keep the medication list current: Caregivers can include current doses and track any supplements the patient takes, as these can interact with cardiac medications.
• Track symptoms: Whether the patient develops breathlessness, their sleep changes or other aspects of their health change over time, caregivers can keep a record of it to share with the doctor.

There are many other ways caregivers can support a loved one with a heart disease diagnosis, including preparing heart-healthy meals, offering encouragement and being present in every moment. Being a caregiver is a selfless act of love — but it’s important to remember that your emotions matter, too. We offer self-care advice for caregivers and many caregiver resources to help sustain you during this time.

Important Things to Track Between Appointments

If you’re caring for a loved one with heart disease, keep track of these important things between appointments:

• Blood pressure readings
• Medications used
• New or worsening symptoms
• Questions as they come up
• Weight

Doing this helps you stay informed about your loved one’s care and takes the burden off them so they can focus on what matters most: healing.

Caring for Everything Your Heart Holds

When it comes to matters of the heart, you deserve expert care. No matter your diagnosis, our cardiac care teams are here to support you at every step. Whether you need expert treatment or a personalized care plan, our physicians are here to help. Find a cardiologist near you and learn more about our heart and vascular care services.