Living With Heart Failure? Home Care Can Help National Heart Failure Awareness Week February 14-20

By: Interim HealthCare | 0 Shares 81 Reads

February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // Sunrise, FL - Interim HealthCare is joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Heart Association to spread the word about strategies for preventing heart disease and encourage people to live heart healthy lives during American Heart Month in February.

About 5 million people in the United States have some degree of heart failure, with roughly another 550,000 diagnosed annually. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people over age 65. About half of those who develop heart failure die within 5 years. Heart failure costs the nation an estimated $32 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications to treat heart failure, and missed days of work.

The good news? In many instances, heart disease can be prevented when people make healthy choices and it can also be successfully managed. Health professionals, families and physicians can work together to educate people about making healthier choices. They can also help those who have heart disease, learn to manage it more effectively.

Heart disease refers to any number of conditions that affect the heart, including coronary artery disease (CAD) and congenital heart disease. Coronary heart disease is characterized by the narrowing of small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. This condition can often be treated or prevented with healthy lifestyle choices.

Heart failure means that the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. This condition can be caused by the blockage of blood vessels caused by coronary heart disease or high blood pressure. People with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) have episodes of serious illness, and then long periods in which their illness seems to stay the same. Although people may recover from their episode of serious illness, it's possible they won't return to their previous level of functioning.

People with advanced heart failure may need help with daily tasks, such as meal preparation and getting dressed, or with other activities, like running errands and housekeeping. At some point, there may be a need for home health care support. Home Health agencies are experts at assisting patients with their daily activities as well as managing medications, coordinating physician visits or transitioning them home after a hospital stay.

“Interim HealthCare has experience in helping individuals and their families live successfully with Heart Failure, comments Jennifer Ballard, Chief Clinical Officer of Interim HealthCare, Inc. “Our franchisees provide Nurses and Aides who visit people in their homes or residential communities to provide total care or supplement a healthcare regimen.”

About Interim HealthCare

Interim HealthCare Inc., founded in 1966, is a leading national franchisor of home care, hospice and healthcare staffing. It is part of Caring Brands International which also includes UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care, both well-known franchise brands in their countries. With more than 530 franchise locations in seven countries Caring Brands International is a global health care leader.

Interim HealthCare in the United States is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service. Franchisees employ nurses, therapists, aides, companions and other healthcare professionals who provide 25 million hours of home care service to 190,000 people each year, meeting a variety of home health, senior care, hospice, palliative care, pediatric care and healthcare staffing needs. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com.

SOURCE Interim HealthCare

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