Palliative care heart failure nurses
Palliative care heart failure nurses provide supportive and
palliative care services to patients with advanced heart
failure.
Palliative care means preventing and relieving
suffering, and improving the quality of life for patients
facing the problems associated with advanced illness, and their
families.
This is done by quickly identifying, assessing
and treating pain and other problems, whether they are physical,
psychosocial or spiritual. It also includes organising
appropriate clinical and social support services.
A carer’s testimony
“I can't begin to express to the difference my
husband's BHF heart failure nurse made to our lives in the last
year. I think without him we probably would not have coped and we
would not have had the quality of life we did achieve, very poorly
though he was at the end.
"He gave us huge support and comfort all the
way through and him visits to us were always a joy. My husband
was so fond of him and it all gave me great confidence. He was
always so approachable and contactable.
“When the time came to introduce the
palliative care team, our BHF nurse did it with great sensitivity -
without him and the lovely community nurses, I am sure my
husband would have needed a hospital bed or residential care.
"That we achieved his remaining at home is a
great comfort to me at the moment as I go through the dark tunnel
of bereavement.”