House Call: Cardiac Rehab Pt. 1

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. Angelina Davis, Manager of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab, talks about cardiac rehab.

1). What is cardiac rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation is an important program for anyone recovering from a heart attack, heart failure, or other heart problems that required surgical or medical intervention.

Cardiac Rehab is a supervise program that combines exercise and education to help with diet, disease management, risk factor modification, stress reduction, and smoking cessation.

A multidisciplinary team including doctors, exercise and nutrition specialist, nurses and counselors work together to design an individualized program tailored for each patient’s needs.

2). Who needs cardiac rehabilitation?

Anyone who has had a heart problem, such as a heart attack, heart failure, or heart surgery can benefit from Cardiac Rehab. Studies have found that cardiac rehab helps both men and women, people of all ages, and people with mild, moderate, and severe heart problems.

Even with the known benefits of cardiac rehab, some people are less likely to start the program. Older adults may think they are unable to perform the exercises due to age or other medical conditions such as arthritis.

It is important to not be intimidated by the exercise portion of cardiac rehab, as it can be modified to fit each individual. Cardiac rehab can be especially useful for these older adults as it can help improve strength, endurance, and mobility to make activities of daily living easier.

3). How can cardiac rehabilitation help heal your heart?

If you’ve had a heart attack or heart surgery, Cardiac Rehab is an important part of the recovery process. This program helps to build back strength and stamina that is often

lost after a major heart event. Cardiac Rehab can help prevent another, perhaps more serious heart attack and can help build heart healthy habits.

Each year in the United States, approximately 800,000 people suffer from a heart attack, with one and four of those people already having a prior heart attack.

Cardiac rehabilitation not only can help a person recover from a heart event, but can also prevent heart problems in the future.

For additional information about Cardiac Rehab, call the UHC Cardiac Rehab Department at 681-342-2425.

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