Information, advice and support for those who face medical and psychological problems related to Cardiomyopathies
di Paul Palma, AICARM member and member of the Board of Directors
It comes to life "Hearts Listening", The new telephone service of Aicarm Onlus aimed at patients with Cardiomyopathy, or their families, who feel the need to receive support, or help that is medical, regulatory or even psychological support to deal with problems, issues or conditions mood related to Cardiomyopathies. On the other end of the line, the volunteers of Aicarm Onlus, experts and trained, who thanks to their experience and preparation will be able to guide the interested parties and provide all the tools to be able to change their condition for the better and learn to live with their Cardiomyopathy or with that of a family member.
The service, created with the contribution of the Cassa di Risparmio Firenze Foundation and the support of the Fratini Foundation, will be active in the experimental phase from mid-October, by calling the number 055 0620178.
“Hearts in Listening is addressed, in particular, to those who suspect they have, or have received, a diagnosis of Cardiomyopathy and also to their families. Our goal is to offer help on medical, psychological and regulatory issues but also simply to listen to those who call and need to tell and share their "experience", explains Paolo Palma who coordinates the organization of the service with Marco Bruscaglioni.
"The first meeting aims to listen: very often, in fact, human contact and the feeling of no longer being alone are enough to deal with this heart disease which, unfortunately not well known, unfortunately sometimes even by doctors, may not be correctly diagnosed or treated ". But that's not all: after the first telephone meeting, operators will be able to involve a psychologist or a specialist doctor if clarification is required on the diagnosis and therapy or on the availability of drugs.
Finally, it is also crucial to clarify the most bureaucratic issues. "We think of issues such as exemptions, certificates of disability and renewal of driving licenses - continues Palma - patients often need to be informed about their rights that are not always fully recognized also due to the lack of attention that administrations pay towards diseases considered. rare, but in reality they are not so rare ".
And for those who prefer a less direct first involvement? "No problem, they can continue to contact us by filling out the form published on our site, entering the information and the reason for the request". For this it will be sufficient to connect to our site at the following address: heartin listwww.aicarm.it/en and send a request to the volunteers of the Hearts in Listening service who will activate themselves to reply via e-mail or call back according to the user's desire.
"The advice we give to everyone, patients and their family or friends, is to follow our social pages, Facebook and Instagram, and to visit our site www.aicarm.it, to learn more about the service and the opportunities for people involved in various capacities with a “Cardiomyopathy”, concludes Palma.