April 2005

Cardiac rehab program goes bilingual

The Royal Melbourne Hospital has expanded its successful community-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program to cater for Greek-speaking patients.

The Greek Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is a joint project with the Australian Greek Welfare Society, patient support group HeartBeat RMH and the Heart Research Centre.

Melbourne Health’s Cardiac Services Director Professor Jim Tatoulis is patron.

The first seven-week course began in September last year—held each Thursday at 10.30a.m. for two hours—at the welfare society’s headquarters in Union Street, Brunswick.

Greek-speaking health professionals from the local community are running sessions, including a pharmacist, social worker, dietitian and physiotherapist, in conjunction with RMH’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Coordinator Kath Kelly, who uses an interpreter.

The new course follows the popularity of the hospital’s first community-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Moonee Ponds, set up five years ago to provide a more accessible community setting.

It is held in the function room at North Suburban Sports Club in Mt Alexander Road—free of charge, including tea and coffee—each Tuesday.

The unusual venue has been popular among patients and their carers, averaging about 30 participants each week.

Research has found that people who attend the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program have a 35 per cent improvement in their five-year survival rate.

The participants have less anxiety and depression, a greater capacity for physical activity, return to work earlier and are less likely to return to smoking.

‘It is a relaxed, friendly and supportive environment for patients recovering from heart disease, whether they have had a heart attack, bypass surgery, valve surgery or insertion of a coronary stent,’ Ms Kelly said.

‘The program provides support for both the patient and spouse or carer during the first six weeks so they can move towards healthy lifestyle changes and deal with issues such as isolation, loss of independence and sleeplessness.

‘They find out they are not alone.’

Each week, there is an education session followed by gentle exercises, that can easily be replicated at home.

Social worker Dennis Halliday runs a family support group while the patients are exercising.

The education session covers topics such as risk factors for heart disease, understanding medications, healthy cooking and shopping hints, exercise and activities, dealing with stress, returning to daily routine—driving, work—and the impact of heart disease on the family.

Presentations are given by different health professionals as well as former patients who talk about their experiences.

The RMH Emergency Department, as part of its health promotion campaign, recommends patients who have two or more risk factors for heart disease attend the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

‘Checking the risk factors for all patients coming into the emergency department will help us to identify people who have a potential problem with heart disease but may not be aware of it,’ said Emergency Department Health Promotions Coordinator Michelle Noronha.

Risk factors for heart disease—apart from non-variables such as a family history of heart disease, being male and advancing age—are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, depression and social isolation.