If you think you have heart failure ask your doctor about it sooner versus later. The earlier we catch it the more we are able to do for heart failure. Definitely find a doctor that you trust and are able to work with because heart failure is a chronic disease and you will have to work closely with this physician for a long time. I can't comment on your father's case, but there is a known correlation between high blood pressure to heart failure and strokes. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart failure and possibly a stroke.
Heart failure is different than a heart attack.
Heart failure happens when the heart muscle tires out and can't pump blood effectively through to the other organs. Sometimes a heart attack, if severe, can injure enough heart muscle to damage the pump, which will cause heart failure. Some people don't have a clear cause of their heart failure, and this is called idiopathic heart failure. Congestive heart failure is simply a pump problem where the heart can't supply enough blood to the rest of the body. I would like to mention that Dr. Mulhern would be speaking specifically on congenital heart disease after this chat.