Cardiomyopathy and Palliative Care
Palliative care is patient and family centred care for people of any age, living with advanced heart failure and cardiomyopathy. The multidisciplinary approach focuses on improving your quality of life, helping with symptoms, and supporting those close to you.
You can receive palliative care at any stage of advanced heart failure. It can sit alongside the treatments you’re already having, or it can focus more on comfort and support if that feels right for you. Think of it as an extra layer of care that puts you and your wellbeing at the centre.
Palliative care is provided by a team of professionals who understand the challenges of advanced illness. This might include doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and others who work closely with your cardiology team. They listen to what matters most to you and tailor care around your needs and wishes.
Living with Heart Failure
Heart failure is a long term condition where the heart cannot pump blood as well as it should. This can cause symptoms such as breathlessness, tiredness, swelling in your feet and ankles, or feeling weaker than usual. These symptoms can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming, but support is available.
The aim of palliative care is simply to ease these challenges, help you feel more comfortable, and provide emotional and practical support for your family, too.
For more information on heart failure, coping with breathlessness, frailty and sleep apnoea:
Who can have palliative care?
Palliative care is not just for the very end of life. It can be helpful at many stages of advanced heart failure, whether you’re still having treatments or focusing more on symptom management and comfort.
For some people, palliative care becomes especially important when symptoms are harder to manage, or when planning ahead feels important. It can also include end of life care, which is more specific and usually begins when someone is thought to be in the last year of life.
Palliative care is also there for your family, friends, and carers. The team can offer them practical advice, emotional support, and someone to talk to.
How palliative care can help with symptoms
Palliative care teams are experts in managing the symptoms and stresses of advanced heart failure. They can help you find ways to feel more comfortable day to day. This might include:
- Medicines or other techniques to ease breathlessness and pain
- Simple breathing and relaxation exercises to reduce anxiety or panic Practical tips, such as sitting or lying in positions that make breathing easier
- Support for swelling in your legs and feet, which can help reduce discomfort
Support for you and your family
Living with advanced heart failure affects not only you, but also those close to you. Palliative care can:
- Provide emotional support and help with the stress that often comes with heart failure
- Ensure all your healthcare providers are working together and sharing information
- Guide you and your loved ones in planning ahead, so you feel more in control
- Support conversations about your wishes, goals, and what matters most to you
Every journey with cardiomyopathy is unique. Palliative care is about recognising your individual needs and making sure you and your family feel supported, understood, and cared for.
Is palliative care the same as end of life care?
No. Palliative care is much broader than end of life care. It’s about improving quality of life by helping with symptoms, worries, and practical needs — and you may have it for months or even years. Having palliative care does not mean you are about to die, and it can be given alongside your heart treatments.
End of life care is part of palliative care, but it is more specific. It usually begins when someone is thought to be in the last year of life. The focus is on comfort, dignity, and making sure wishes are understood and respected — whether that’s about care, where you’d like to be, or practical matters like planning ahead.
Both palliative and end of life care are there to support you and those close to you, making sure you feel cared for, listened to, and not alone.
Supporting you with Marie Curie
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading specialist in end of life care. Their nurses, doctors and support teams help people living with terminal illnesses to have the best possible quality of life, wherever they choose to be cared for. Alongside this, Marie Curie also offers a wide range of support and information for anyone who wants to understand more about palliative care, what it means, how it can help, and how to access it.
We work closely with Marie Curie, specialists in palliative and end of life care. They have a wealth of experience in supporting people with advanced illnesses and offer a wide range of resources and services you may find helpful.
Marie Curie provides:
- Trusted information about palliative and end of life care
- A free support line, where you can talk to trained staff about practical questions or emotional worries about palliative care
- An online community, where you can connect with others who understand what you’re going through
- A Companion Service, offering friendly support from volunteers who can listen, chat, and ease feelings of isolation
By working in partnership with Marie Curie, we can make sure you and your loved ones have access to the very best care, advice, and understanding at every stage of your journey. We recommend visiting Marie Curie for more detailed information, practical guidance, and supportive services.
Marie Curie
Please visit our YouTube channel to learn about care planning at every stage.
Yvonne Millerick, Heart Failure Palliative Care Nurse Consultant at Glasgow Caledonian University, and Caryl Evans, Cardiomyopathy UK Nurse Specialist, talk about the importance of having open conversations about care planning at every stage of the condition.