Synopsis
Chronic heart failure is a complex condition that causes the body to deteriorate. When a person is diagnosed with the problem, it s essential that they learn to pay closer attention to their health and make necessary changes to ensure a better quality of life. They can t do it alone, though, so the caregiver s guidance and support is crucial to the patient s ability to follow through with the doctor s treatment plan. The Comfort of Home for Chronic Heart Failure helps family members and professional caregivers provide the best at-home care possible. It offers an overview of the condition and its treatments and therapies, and then guides the caregiver through essential topics such as understanding the treatment plan, setting up the home for optimal ease and mobility, equipment, diet and nutrition, moving or positioning the patient, daily activities, and end-of-life care. A chapter on caregiver burnout contains tips and coping strategies to prevent this all-too common condition.
About the Author
Kay Kendall, MSW, LISW, ACSW, has been a licensed, clinical social worker for over 30 years. For the first 15 years of her career, she provided individual, marital, and family counseling in a variety of settings. In 1989, Kay began working at the Cleveland Clinic with cardiac patients and their families. As a member of the Cleveland Clinic Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Team, Kay provides ongoing counseling and support to both patients and their families. Through daily contact, she counsels patients and their families as they adjust and adapt to managing a chronic medical condition. Through the years she has spent in the hospital setting, Kay has come to recognize the significance of the caregiver in the treatment process, and the role of the patient and their family in disease management, and outcome. Kay has published articles on the quality of life of patients with heart failure, the stages and process through which patients adjust to illness, and ways to improve compliance with medical recommendations. She has also presented at national and international conferences. Kay served for five years as the President of the Society for Transplant Social Workers, and she remains active on their executive board. Jennifer Reese, RN, BSN, has been employed by the Cleveland Clinic for the past 10 years. After graduating from nursing school, her focus has been in cardiac care. She started her career in the cardiac intensive care units, before joining the Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Team. As a member of this team she provides ongoing care and education for both the heart failure and heart transplant patients and their families. She has been involved in several task forces and committees at the Cleveland Clinic to help improve the quality of care that both patients and their families receive. Jennifer has presented at several national conferences and provides educational lectures to other community hospitals and facilities on the care of both the heart failure and heart transplant patient.
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