Heart Attack Survivor Runs Boston Marathon Thanks To At-Home Program
Posted May 8, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
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Heart attack survivors, eager to get back to the life they abandoned, are often reluctant to take part in rehabilitation programs.
Either the hospital is too far, or they don’t have the time, or they have other demands. A recent study found that 38% of those who are referred to a program either don’t enroll or drop out prematurely.
Alfred Carr knows what it’s like. At 61, he’s an avid runner, still in the workforce, and cares for his wife who has Alzheimer’s disease. He didn’t have time for the massive heart attack he suffered in February of 2007.
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“The echocardiogram indicated that about a third of my heart was not working,” Carr explains. But that didn’t stop him, though he definitely didn’t have the patience to go back and forth to clinics.
- Instead, Carr did his treatment at home through Toronto Rehab’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Home Program. The course won an Ontario Ministry of Health innovation award at the end of April.
The sessions involve weekly phone calls to doctors, as well as education and counseling.
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Anne Marie Shin, Cardiac Rehab Supervisor at Toronto Rehab, explains how the sessions work.
“For the first time, we do a cardiopulmonary assessment, which is really a high-level exercise test,” Shin says. ” From there, they go home and then we start contacting them on a weekly basis.”
That worked for Carr.
- “What it did for me was give me the confidence to manage my recovery,” beams Carr. Defying his cardiologist, who said he would never run a marathon again, Carr completed the Boston Marathon in 2008.
- And he couldn’t be more gratfeul. “The reality is I was there on the 21st of April only because Toronto Rehab supported me totally and completely,” Carr says.
Check out the benefits of cardiac rehab here.
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About The Toronto Rehab Program
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
A structured 6 month program of education, counseling and exercise guided toward healthy lifestyle changes. Your Cardiac Rehab Team works closely with you to get your heart back in shape and reduce your risk of another cardiac event.
What is the Cardiac Rehab Home Program?
A program designed specifically for people who are unable to attend the centre on a weekly basis for their rehabilitation. It includes all of the elements of the regular cardiac rehab program
This unique program uses weekly telephone consultations with your Exercise Supervisor to progress your exercise program and provide education and counseling.
What can I expect from the Home Program?An initial cardiopulmonary exercise assessment to establish a baseline measure of your cardiovascular fitness. (A visit to the Centre)Trial of your Initial Exercise Prescription (A visit to the Centre)
Weekly and monthly scheduled telephone consults with your Home Program Exercise Supervisor discussing your needs as well as:
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- Current exercise prescription and/or progression of exercise prescription
- Your personal goals
- Specific topics related to heart health
- Clinical issues as needed
- Exercise logs are a core component of the program and are required to be submitted to your Home Program Exercise Supervisor on a weekly basis via email, fax or mail
Education Series
Resistance Training program
Follow-up cardiopulmonary assessment
What is my role as a participant of the program?
A commitment to the program is key to achieve best results
Attendance to the centre for an intake/orientation
Submission of exercise diaries on a regular basis
Participation in weekly telephone consultations
Key Facts
- Currently 75% of people who should be enrolling in a cardiac rehab program are not.
- Studies have found that participating in a cardiac rehab program will reduce your risk of dying from a secondary heart incident by 25% in the first three years after your initial heart event.
- Toronto Rehab’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Home Program was created so that more people could enroll in and benefit from a cardiac rehab program after experiencing a heart attack or surgery due to heart disease. The program was designed for people who are unable to attend the hospital’s traditional on-site program on a regular basis.
- An internal survey found that 30% of people who do enroll in the regular cardiac rehab program drop out. Some of those reasons are because of work demands, transportation, and living a distance from the centre, which makes it difficult to attend regularly. This program is flexible and because of that, has managed to reduce drop-outs by 10%.
- Having run the program for just over a year, Toronto Rehab has enrolled 100 patients and has generally seen a 20% improvement in participants’ cardiovascular fitness.
- The program was recently recognized by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care winning an innovations award for Improving Quality and Patient Safety.
