Table 1.

Spousal Palliative Care Needs in Heart Failure

	Exacerbation/Times of Medical Instability	Times of Medical Stability
Informational Needs	Information for immediate decisions Treatment options Advance Directives	Information for future planning (legal documents, advance directives) Information for day-to-day caregiving decisions Management of new treatments and medications Diet management
Financial issues	Travel and lodging expenses Lost income/job- work absence Patient insurance issues Cost of medications	Lost income - missing work for appointments Cost of travel for appointments Medication expenses Underinsured patients/spouses Unmet household expenses Navigating governmental systems (disability, Medicare-Medicaid)
Psychosocial Issues	Family conflicts increase Availability of family/social support	Role change Family and/or marital conflict
Physical Issues	Unaddressed medical needs Stress Exhaustion	Concurrent health problems Health problems that limit caregiving ability