Coping & Support

Cardiac Services BC helps those living with or affected by heart conditions to cope with the physical, practical, emotional and psychological aspects of their care.

If you are living with a cardiovascular condition, there are many things you can do to promote your physical and mental well-being.

We urge all patients to be informed about their condition and health care options, and to co-manage their own health, every day making health-forward decisions that prioritize their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Resources

We recommend several websites for more information about different types of heart disease and their treatment.

All cardiac topics

Abnormal heart rhythm

See Abnormal Heart Rhythm page
Heart Rhythm Society of Canada – Patient resources
The Heart Centre at St. Paul's Hospital – Heart rhythm services
Inherited arrhythmias:

SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome) Foundation – Canada
SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome) Foundation – US
Western Children's Heart Network
Canadian Genetic Heart Rhythm Network
Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors - resources on genetic conditions, genetic counselling & genetic testing

Congenital heart disease

Defective heart valve

The Heart Centre at St. Paul's Hospital – Heart valve procedures

Heart failure

HealthLink BC - heart failure
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada - heart failure
Heart Failure Society of America – Heart Failure teaching modules
European Society of Cardiology – Heart Failure Matters website
Cleveland Clinic – Heart failure overview

Support guides

Living well with heart failure:

Anxiety in heart failure (PDF)
Caring for someone with heart failure (PDF)
Depression and heart failure (PDF)
Depression: more information (PDF)
Learning to live with heart failure (PDF)
Managing stress when you have heart failure (PDF)

Restrictive blood flow

See Restricted Heart Flow page
American Heart Association – Coronary artery disease

Videoconferencing

Do you live in a rural area or in Northern BC?

Telehealth is a service that provides free live videoconferencing over a secure, high-speed provincial network. It can help patients to access expert cardiac consultation without a trip to a major heart centre.

Talk to your doctor about whether telehealth may be an option in your cardiac care.

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