While family focused care is recommended in standards of care for heart failure (HF), little data exist to guide the structure, content, and delivery of family care. The purpose of this article is to describe what is known about the impact of HF, and to examine a family based approach to improve self-management and adherence in HF. A scientific and theoretical background was used to formulate a family based approach to HF care, the Family Partnership Intervention (FPI), and to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention to family members and HF patients. The components of the intervention are described as well as examples of how it was used. Lessons learned in implementing the intervention during a pilot study are addressed.