Heartwise

Cardiac Rehabilitation is designed for patients who have recently experienced a cardiac event or are trying to prevent heart problems.

The goals of cardiac rehabilitation are to help you regain strength, to prevent your condition from worsening and to reduce your risk of future heart problems. And those can add up to a better quality of life.

You may be eligible for our Phase II insurance covered cardiac rehab if you meet any of the following criteria:

• Heart attack (past 12 months)
• Heart bypass surgery (past 12 months)
• Angioplasty
• Heart stent placement
• Heart transplant
• Stable angina (chest pain with activity)
• Heart valve repair or replacement
  

Cardiac rehabilitation programs are tailored to each patient’s needs but they all operate under these guiding principles:

• Counseling patients about their disease.
• Initiating an exercise program, which has been shown to improve survival.
• Helping patients modify their risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, smoking, high serum cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes. Decreasing these risk factors has also been shown to reduce the risk of another heart attack, sudden death, and stroke.
• Providing vocational guidance to enable patients to return to work.
• Lending emotional support and counseling.
  

Cardiac rehabilitation helps you rebuild your life, both physically and emotionally. It may seem like a lot of time and effort. But as you get stronger and learn how to manage your condition, you'll likely return to a normal routine and enjoy life more.

Who can benefit from cardiac rehabilitation? In years past, cardiac rehabilitation was often suggested only for people who were younger and needed help getting in shape to return to work after a heart attack or surgery. It was thought too risky or of too little benefit for anyone else.

Today, though, with improved programs and close medical monitoring, cardiac rehabilitation is an option for people of all ages and with many forms of heart disease.

In particular, you may benefit from cardiac rehabilitation if your medical history includes:

• Heart attack
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart failure
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Angina
• Cardiomyopathy
• Certain congenital heart diseases
• Coronary artery bypass surgery
• Valve replacements
  

Don't let advancing age hold you back from joining a cardiac rehabilitation program. Even if you're older than 65, you're just as likely to benefit from cardiac rehabilitation as your younger counterparts are. In fact, because older adults with heart disease often find it more difficult to exercise and have a higher disability rate, they may benefit the most from a cardiac rehabilitation program.

What will you do during cardiac rehabilitation? Cardiac rehabilitation programs don't follow a cookie-cutter approach. You may have friends or relatives whose cardiac rehabilitation is different from yours.

Your cardiac rehabilitation team will tailor a program for you based on your specific health situation and goals. Most cardiac rehabilitation programs last about three to six months.

Although it may be difficult to start a cardiac rehabilitation program when you're not feeling well, you'll benefit in the long run. Cardiac rehabilitation can steer you through fear and anxiety as you return to an active lifestyle, with more motivation and energy to do the things you enjoy.

Over the long term, you gain strength, learn heart-healthy behaviors, improve your diet, cut bad habits like smoking, and perhaps even expand your social horizons as you meet others who've gone through similar experiences.

If you've had a heart attack or heart surgery, or if you have another heart condition, ask your doctor about joining our cardiac rehabilitation program. Although studies show they can improve your quality of life and help you live longer, many people aren't even aware of cardiac rehabilitation programs. Insurance and Medicare often cover the costs of cardiac rehabilitation.

One of the most valuable benefits of cardiac rehabilitation is often an improvement in your overall quality of life. You're likely to come out of your cardiac rehabilitation program feeling healthier and happier than before.

Wellness Center
Supervised exercise is also available for those interested in health promotion and disease prevention who do not meet the cardiac rehab criteria. Our professional and friendly staff provides excellent support in a convenient location with low monthly fees and no contract to sign.