Rehabilitation Services
Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Programs
A Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is designed to help patients
with heart disease recover faster and return to full and productive
lives. Programs include exercise, education, counseling and learning
ways to live a healthier life. You can benefit from cardiac rehab
if you:
- Have heart disease, such as angina or heart failure,
or have had a heart attack.
- Have had coronary bypass surgery or a balloon catheter (PTCA) procedure
on your heart.
- Have had a heart transplant
Cardiac Rehab is a safe and effective way to help you feel better
faster, get stronger, reduce stress, reduce the risks of further
heart problems and live longer. Almost everyone with heart disease
can benefit from some type of cardiac rehab program. Nobody is
too old or too young, and women benefit as much as men. Components
of a comprehensive program include exercise training, nutritional
counseling, smoking cessation counseling and stress management.
Education on symptom management, medications and lifestyle changes
should be included.
At Ellsworth Municipal Hospital, there are three phases to Cardiac
Rehabilitation. By stepping through these three phases, patients
are assured a progressive program with gradual increases in activity
over time.
Phase I Rehabilitation
Phase I is designed for the patient who is still hospitalized.
The program consists of closely monitored, professionally directed
activity, as well as patient and family education. Phase II Rehabilitation
Phase II is designed for individuals who have been discharged
from the hospital and continue their rehabilitation program on
an outpatient basis. Sessions are held three times a week (Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays). The sessions feature individualized exercise
prescriptions and educational classes dealing with developing a
healthy lifestyle.
Phase II education programs cover such topics as:
- nutrition
- weight control
- stress and relaxation techniques
- coronary artery disease
- risk factor modifications
Individual teaching and counseling is provided
as needed. Monitored exercise can include stationary cycling, recumbent
steppers and/or treadmill workouts. Your heart rate, heart rhythm,
blood pressure and tolerance levels are monitored during the entire
exercise session. Exercise in the Phase II program is supervised
by a nurse and exercise technician.
A physician's order is required to participate in the Phase II
program.
Phase III: “Healthy Hearts Club”
The Phase III program is designed for individuals who want to
continue in a program of supervised exercise. The goal of the Phase
III program is to make cardiovascular conditioning and risk modification
a permanent way of life.
No physician's order is needed for “Club Membership”,
however, you may need your physician's approval to participate
if your health history indicates such.
The Phase III program includes:
- Supervised exercise sessions, with several convenient
times to choose from
- On-going structure and support from staff and other participants
- Availability to the public for a nominal fee (Click
here for information
on our fitness center, memberships and prices)
-
Continued education covering several aspects of living “heart
healthy”.
Controlling your risk factors for heart disease can help you lead
a healthier life, but your cardiac rehab program should be designed
for your individual needs. Make sure your cardiac rehab program
works for you. Work with your healthcare team to design or change
services to get the most out of your program. Be sure to ask
questions. If you don't understant the answers, keep asking until
you do. It is important to report changes in your feelings or
symptoms in order to prevent or lessen any future heart problems.
Take charge of your recovery! No one else can do it for you. The
instruction and guidance you receive from your cardiac rehab team
will give you the confidence you need to take control.
Some of the above information was
gathered from the Iowa
Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation website.
For more information on cardiac rehabilitation and
secondary prevention programs, call 641-648-7051
Rehabilitation Services also includes:
For more information on rehabilitation services, please call 641-648-7055
Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation home page |
