Why do elders delay responding to heart failure symptoms?
Elders with heart failure (HF) are at risk for frequent hospitalizations for symptom management. Repeated admissions are partly related to delay in responding to HF symptoms. Contextual factors such as prior illness experiences and social/emotional factors may affect symptom interpretation and response. The Self-Regulation Model of Illness guided this study as it acknowledges the dynamic nature of illness and influence of contextual factors and social environment on the interpretation and response to symptoms.
