What would be my reason for enrolling in a cardiac rehabilitation program?
You know you need to improve your lifestyle, but change is rarely easy. That's where cardiac rehabilitation comes in.
The reasons for enrolling in cardiac rehabilitation are different for each patient. In helping you set your personal goals, your healthcare team looks at your general health, your personal heart condition, your risks for future heart problems, your doctor's recommendations, and, of course, your own preferences. Staff guide and motivate you toward making the changes that are right for you. Enrolling in the program also makes exercise and lifestyle changes an ongoing part of your daily routine.
Participation aids in determining what recreational and occupational activities you can safely and comfortably perform. Activities may include aerobic exercise and strength training in the right amount to be safe and important for your heart health.
Participation has proven to reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by 20-25%. Benefits are derived by preventing or reversing the disease process in patients with or at high risk for coronary heart disease.
How is my progress measured?
You are more capable than anyone at assessing your progress. A way to routinely measure improvement is self-reporting. You will see that you can perform a given task, such as walking faster, farther, or longer. Another example is your clothes feel looser, you are less short of breath, or you can carry your groceries more easily. The cardiac rehabilitation staff provide tools to validate your performance and to show you the benefits you receive from your program participation. National standards are used to assess your clinical and behavioral compliance and health status. These categories may include:
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Clinical:
What are your measured changes in workload and distance covered, blood pressure, heart rate, and perceived exertion level related to a certain level of activity?
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Behavioral:
To what extent did you adhere to the strategies provided to alter your behavior?
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Health:
Has your general well-being and quality of life improved?
At any given point in your rehabilitative process, you may be evaluated to determine future objectives.
How can my psychosocial concerns be addressed?
Many recovering cardiac patients and their families struggle with the adaptive challenges that come with illness and rehabilitation. Staff identify clinical levels of psychosocial needs using interview and screening tools at entry into the program and at subsequent times. In addition to staff, other participants lend emotional and moral support to each other.
Exercise is an avenue by which we change behavior. Breaking old habits and learning new habits can be stressful. Wondering about your future health can be stressful, too. The support of family and friends as well as healthcare providers can make a big difference in how well you adjust to these changes.You could even meet with the new friends you make in cardiac rehabilitation and use them as a support group.
How can I, as a family member or a friend, support someone with heart disease?
As a family member or a friend, you too are affected by the stress of your loved one's heart problem. There are many ways you can support this person and help to lower his or her risk of heart disease. Examples include:
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Exercise with your loved one
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Attend cardiac rehabilitation educational classes
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Listen and talk to each other frequently
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Take time each day to relax
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Understand your loved one's ongoing medical needs
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Maintain a healthy weight
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Keep consistent sleeping hours
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Focus on the good things in your lives
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Ask for help when you need it.
Being part of the rehabilitation process can help you both.The bonus is that you will be lowering your own risk, too.
What are the top 10 benefits of cardiac rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation:
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Reduces the risk or reduces the reoccurrence of heart disease
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Increases the HDL cholesterol
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Makes it easier to reach and maintain a healthy weight
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Helps to control diabetes
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Improves quality of sleep
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Relieves stress and anxiety
Cardiac rehabilitation can make a difference. No one is too old or too young.Women benefit as much from a cardiac rehabilitation program as much as men.
After you have learned the skills of heart-healthy living, you should continue to use them for life. No matter how difficult it seems, your hard work in cardiac rehabilitation will have lifetime benefits.
