Cardiovascular Health Course Catalog

HeartLife Academy offers free, evidence-based courses on heart failure, cardiac rehabilitation, medications, nutrition, mental health, and caregiver support.

• Discovering HeartLife Academy

  HeartLife Academy is the learning platform of the HeartLife Foundation — Canada's patient-led charity dedicated to improving lives of people with heart failure. This orientation microcourse introduces you to HeartLife's mission, the patient community it serves, and the national policy framework shaping heart failure care. You'll explore what heart failure is and what the HeartLife Patient Charter means for your rights and your care. The perfect starting point for your HeartLife journey.

• Managing and Understanding Heart Failure Medications

  Heart failure medications can feel overwhelming — complex names, multiple classes, and questions about side effects and interactions. This course breaks it down clearly. You'll explore the major drug classes used in heart failure management — ACE inhibitors, ARBs, ARNIs, beta blockers, diuretics, MRAs, SGLT2 inhibitors, and sinus node inhibitors — learning what each does, why it's prescribed, and what to watch for. Designed for patients and caregivers, this course helps you understand your treatment plan and have confident, informed conversations with your care team.

• Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease

  A serious cardiac diagnosis doesn't just affect the body — it reshapes your emotional world too. Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease helps you recognise and address the psychological challenges that come with living with heart disease, including anxiety, depression, anger, and uncertainty. Across twelve practical lessons, you'll learn evidence-based coping strategies: calming the mind and body, accepting your diagnosis, managing difficult emotions, and redefining your sense of self. The course also helps you communicate openly with loved ones and care providers, and guides you to professional mental health support. Designed for patients and caregivers who want to care for the whole self.

• The Heart Failure Journey: An Introduction

  A heart failure diagnosis can feel overwhelming. This course gives you clear, practical guidance to help you move forward with confidence. You will learn what heart failure is, how it is diagnosed, and how it is treated. We explain common tests, medications, cardiac rehabilitation, and daily symptom management. You will also learn how diet, exercise, salt, and fluid choices affect your heart. The course addresses emotional health and shows you how to work closely with your care team. Whether you are newly diagnosed or supporting someone you love, you will gain tools to manage heart failure and live well.

• Self-Advocacy Bootcamp

  Managing heart failure or another chronic illness takes more than following instructions. You need skills to speak up, ask questions, and make informed decisions. The Self-Advocacy Bootcamp gives you practical tools to take an active role in your care. Across eight modules, you will set personal goals, coordinate appointments, communicate with healthcare providers, and evaluate treatment options. You will also build emotional resilience, strengthen your support network, and learn how sharing your story creates awareness and drives change. This course helps you lead your care with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

• Caregiver Bootcamp

  Caring for a loved one with a serious illness brings both meaning and strain. The Caregiver Advocacy Bootcamp gives you practical tools to support your loved one while protecting your own health. Across eight modules, you will learn how to advocate in medical settings, organize appointments, manage medications, and navigate healthcare and community services. You will strengthen communication skills, understand financial and legal basics, and build emotional resilience. The course also helps you create a support network and practice self-care. In the final module, you will learn how sharing your story builds connection, awareness, and change.

• ASCVD Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

  Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or ASCVD, happens when plaque builds up in your arteries and reduces blood flow. This course helps you understand what ASCVD is and how you can lower your risk. You will learn how food, physical activity, weight, smoking, alcohol, stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar affect your heart. The course also explains common medications and why taking them as prescribed protects you. By the end, you will have clear steps to prevent or manage ASCVD and protect your long term heart health.

• HCM Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

  Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most common inherited heart conditions, yet it remains widely misunderstood. This course explains how HCM develops, how it is diagnosed through echocardiograms, MRI, and genetic testing, and what its inheritance means for your family. You'll explore medical management including beta-blockers and newer therapies, as well as surgical and interventional treatments such as septal myectomy. The course covers living well with HCM — symptom monitoring, emotional support, and special considerations for athletes, women, and young patients. A final module reviews emerging therapies and research shaping the future of HCM care.

• Diabetes and Heart Failure

  Diabetes and heart failure frequently develop together, each making the other harder to manage. This course explains the connection between these conditions and gives you practical tools to stay in control. You'll learn how to track key numbers, recognise early warning signs, and understand how your medications work. The course covers lifestyle strategies — nutrition, movement, and stress management — that protect both your heart and metabolism. Each module ends with clear steps and questions to bring to your care team. Designed for patients and caregivers, this course builds the knowledge and confidence to manage both conditions well.

• Amyloidosis: An Introduction

  Amyloidosis is a rare but serious condition caused by abnormal protein deposits that accumulate in organs, including the heart. This course guides patients, caregivers, and family members through everything you need to know — from understanding what amyloidosis is and how it's classified, to how it is diagnosed and how it affects cardiac function. You'll explore current treatment options, including newer therapies that slow disease progression, and learn practical nutrition and lifestyle strategies. The course closes with tools for daily living and a guide to finding the specialised care and support you need.

• Heart Disease: Diagnosis & Treatment

  Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, yet diagnosis and treatment continue to improve. This course explains how heart disease develops, how it is detected, and how modern tools support better care. You'll learn about cardiac biomarkers, advanced imaging, genetic testing, and AI-assisted diagnostics — and how these tools combine for personalised treatment decisions. Each module builds your understanding step by step, from foundational concepts to cutting-edge approaches. Whether you live with heart disease, support someone who does, or want to deepen your knowledge, this course helps you make informed, confident choices.

• Dyslipidemia: An Introduction

  Dyslipidemia means you have high levels of cholesterol or other fats in your blood. Over time, this raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. This course is for people living with dyslipidemia and for the family members and caregivers who support them. In six clear modules, you will learn what dyslipidemia is, how it is tested, and how to manage it. You will understand your cholesterol numbers, review treatment options, and take practical steps with food, activity, and medication. By the end, you will feel confident, prepared, and ready to protect your heart health.

• Vaccines & Your Heart

  Vaccination is one of the most effective and underused tools in heart health. This course explains why recommended vaccines — including those for influenza, COVID-19, and pneumonia — are especially important for people living with cardiovascular disease. You'll learn how vaccines reduce the risk of infection-triggered cardiac events, which vaccines are recommended, what to expect, and how immunisation fits into a broader heart-healthy lifestyle. Designed for patients and caregivers, Vaccines & Your Heart builds confidence and equips you to make informed decisions with your care team.

• Lp(a) in Clinical Practice

  Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is an inherited risk factor linked to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic valve disease. This course provides a focused, practical review for clinicians. You will learn how Lp(a) is structured, how it is inherited, and how it contributes to cardiovascular risk. The course outlines guideline-based indications for testing, explains how to order and interpret results in nmol/L or mg/dL, and supports clear patient communication. You will also integrate Lp(a) into risk management plans, including LDL lowering strategies and referral pathways, and review the clinical relevance of emerging Lp(a)-targeted therapies.

• Connected Conditions

  Connected Conditions helps you understand how your heart, kidneys, liver, and metabolism work together as one system. Conditions like chronic kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease often develop quietly and increase risk across the whole body. This course explains how these connections work, what key tests reveal early changes, and what your numbers mean. You will learn practical, manageable steps to protect your health, improve coordination with your healthcare team, and take action before problems worsen. Designed for patients and family caregivers, this course builds knowledge, confidence, and control so you can strengthen every part of your health.