White Paper Handout

1. Home Care: Assisting Seniors with Congestive Heart Failure through
Improved Health Literacy and Self-Management
Open Communication + Improved Health Literacy + Self-Management
= Fewer Emergencies, Fewer Hospital Visits, and Improved Overall Health
Obstacles to Health Literacy Faced By Seniors
- Lack of understanding of doctor’s
explanations, prescribed medications, and
recommended treatments
- Physical limitations (e.g. hearing
problems,)
- Mental limitations ( e.g. onslaught of
complex information) ₃
Health Literacy State at which clients and health care professionals understand each other ₂
1 in 5 Americans were shown
to read at HALF the level
required for understanding
most health care material ₁
“an excess of $29 billion
dollars in additional annual
health care costs” could be
“attributed to poor health
literacy skills” ₁
“It is important for all people [involved] to understand what is important to the client and base
decisions on that persons individual needs.” ₂ For a caregiver to be effective in increasing a
senior’s health literacy and self-management, the senior must determine for his or herself that
personal health is important.”
Caregiver Overcoming Obstacles
-Listen to doctor’s explanations, detached
-Make notes of mediations and treatment
options
- Help senior to repeat back information to
the doctor to insure understanding
-Gather materials and review
-Make note of doctor’s contact info for
future questions
“Heart failure is a progressive disease, but the
rate of progression varies a great deal. At least
three-quarters of patients who practice self-
care can help themselves in very meaningful
ways.” ₄
Tips For Caregivers of Seniors with CHF
1- Keep a daily log
2- Know when to call the doctor
3- Be prepared with information the doctor
will want
4- Have an action plan ₅
The most important step
a home caregiver can take
to help a senior with
congestive heart failure is
to record weight “at the
same time every day and
report significant
changes.” ₂
“Healthcare is a very complex system. It is easy to get lost and be pushed around, not
heard. It’s about taking an active role in meeting [one’s] own needs.” – Roseanne Harris, MSN, RN

2. Resources
₁ Cooke, Catherine, Jann Keenan, and Richard Safeer. Dec 2006. "The Impact of Health
Literacy on Cardiovascular Disease." Vascular Health Risk Management.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994011/Accessed June 15,
2014.
₄ Freeman, David. 2007. “Living with Advanced Heart Failure.”
WebMD http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/features/living-
with-advanced-heart-failure?page=3 Accessed June 6, 2014.
₃ Gynn, Mary, RN. 2013. "Health Literacy for Seniors." The Florida Nurse.
₂ Harris, Roseanne, MSN, RN, Instructional Development Specialist UAMS. Personal
Interview. June 18, 2014.
₅ Schuster, Janice, MFA, Carol Spence MS, RN, Michelle Jacobs, MPH, Anne Wilkinson, PhD,
Casey Milne RN, BSN, Suzanne Pieklik, and Sarah Myers, MPH. 2002. “Living
with Advanced Congestive Heart Failure: A Guide for Family Caregivers.” The
Washington Home Center for Palliative Care Studies.