POHA — PACIFIC OPEN HEART ASSOCIATION JANUARY 2017 NEWSLETTER Fraser Health Authority: Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Programs By Susanne Burns, Manager Clinical Operations, Cardiac Services, Fraser Health Authority, Royal Columbian Hospital Why are the Fraser Health Cardiac community or a community that is closest Rehabilitation Education and to their home. Self-Management Support and Exercise Programs offered? Why is Cardiac Rehabilitation important? Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Programs are provided to support patients Many of the Benefits include: who have just been discharged from hospital • Social support of being with other after a heart health problem. Family and people with cardiac disease friends may also join in. • Support from the health care team Our health team includes Registered • Increased fitness, endurance, and energy Nurse Clinicians, Exercise Specialist, Regis- • Reduced symptoms of angina and tered Dietitian, Social Worker, Nurse Prac- shortness of breath Susanne Burns titioner and Cardiologist. • Weight control Patients and families are able to ask ques- • Lowered cholesterol The Exercise Support Program tions and learn how to manage their heart • Lowered blood pressure This 12 week program helps you begin or health. The education support program will • Managed diabetes (if you have it) restart an exercise program after you have be five sessions, once per week, for five • Reduced stress, anxiety, or depression had a heart event or are at risk for a heart weeks. • Slowed progress of heart disease event. Your doctor must refer you to this The Cardiac Rehabilitation Low to Inter- • Reduced chances of having another program. mediate and High Risk Programs are cardiac event Everyone who starts this program has designed to help support patients begin or Science has proven that Cardiac an exercise treadmill test during the first restart an exercise program after they have Rehabilitation can provide: session so we know your level of fitness. had a heart attack, heart surgery, angio- • Comprehensive chronic disease Exercise programs can be offered either plasty, or for those who are at high risk for management at the hospital or in the community. The a heart event. • Optimized cardiovascular health Cardiac Rehabilitation team will decide the Exercise classes are run by a Cardiac • Minimized risks for future events best program for each patient. The best path Registered Nurse, and/or a Cardiac Exercise • 26% decrease in mortality risk is to complete the first program and then Specialist and/or an Exercise Leader with • Medically supervised exercise-based join a maintenance program offered in community settings. advanced qualifications for working with programs Depending on what you need, we can cardiac clients in a supervised and safe • Individualized medical assessment and adapt the exercise program to be shorter environment. care planning The exercise programs are both offered or longer than 12 weeks. Programs range in some hospital settings as well as in com- Who can be Referred from 8–16 weeks of two 60–90 minute munity settings. Your Cardiac Rehabilita- Individuals diagnosed with cardiovas- supervised sessions of both cardiovascular tion team will decide where the best cular conditions including coronary artery and resistance training. program is for each patient. We want bypass graft, valve surgeries and any other patients to attend a program in their open heart surgeries. (Continued on page 2) POHA Annual General Meeting Saturday, April 8th, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 949 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC (Oak & 49th Avenue) Speaker: Dr. Raymond Dong, Cardiologist. Membership Registration desk will open at 1:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served after the speaker’s presentation. President’s Report On behalf of the Board of the Pacific cardiologist who grew up in East Vancouver Finally, I wish to address a matter that Open Heart Association I wish you a happy and who graduated from UBC. concerns the future of the POHA – our and healthy New Year. I hope that 2017 will The Annual Moe Pitcher/POHA Golf membership numbers. We have approxi- be good to you and your families. Tournament will be held on Friday, June mately 350 active members. That number Two important events are happening in 16th at the Poppy Estates golf course in has been static for a while despite our vol- the next few months – the POHA Annual Langley. Roger Kocheff and his committee unteers visiting between 2,000 and 2,500 General Meeting and the golf tournament. will undoubtedly arrange an excellent tour- open heart patients annually! The AGM will be held on Saturday, April nament and I urge you to consider partici- It is from our membership that we draw 8th as usual at the Unitarian Church located pating in this fun event. our volunteer visitors, our directors and our at 949 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, start- I’m pleased to announce that the vacancy basic operating funds to continue the good ing at 1:30 p.m. for the Treasurer position has been filled. works of our organization. Clearly some- This year, apart from our usual agenda, Barb Smith officially joined our Board as thing seems to be amiss. As a result I wish we will be discussing the impact of the new our Treasurer on January 24th, 2017. Wel- to address this issue at the AGM in April. B.C. Societies Act that came into effect on come Barb! Please refer to her bio in this Please give this matter some thought. We November 28th, 2016 and how it affects our newsletter. would like your input on what it will take association. On behalf of the POHA I wish to thank for many more of the patients that we visit We are currently undertaking a review Robert Ellerton for his hard work and con- annually to become members. Please con- of our constitution and bylaws to ensure tributions as our Treasurer over the past two tact Joga Sangha (our membership director) compliance. If changes are required then a plus years. Thank you also to all our Board or myself or any of our Board between vote of the membership will be necessary members and visitors for their many contri- now and the AGM with your ideas and before we file our constitution with the B.C. butions to the ongoing success of the POHA suggestions. Government. We have until November 2018 in 2016. Hoping to see as many of you as possible to comply but we hope to have everything This past Fall one of POHA’s volunteer in April. ready for a vote at the AGM on April 8th. visitors at Royal Columbian Hospital cele- Rick Cozzuol, I encourage you to attend and vote on any brated a milestone birthday – his 90th! Con- President, changes that may be undertaken to our gratulations to Vaughn Raeside and many Pacific Open Heart Association constitution and bylaws. thanks for being a volunteer visitor for the I am pleased to announce that the POHA past 16 years. You’re an amazing example to AGM speaker is Dr. Raymond Dong, a us all. Fraser Health Authority medication review, symptom and emer- Donation to (Continued from page 1) gency management, nutrition and heart health, physical activity, sexual health, and Eagle Ridge Hospital Home-Based Exercise Program emotional health. For those people who do not qualify for Is there a Cost to Attend Cardiac the exercise program or who are not able Rehabilitation? come in to the exercise classes, we offer a home-based program. All of the Education Self-Management We now use the Heart & Stroke “Living support programs are free for patients and Well with Heart Disease” book and make an families. Most exercise programs have a exercise plan with you. We then follow up monthly attendance fee that covers the cost with you by phone. of maintenance for the equipment or com- munity facility. Please speak with your team Education and Self-Management if you are not able to cover this cost. Support From left to right is Bob Axford, POHA representative, presenting their cheque to Dr. Cameron Dehoney, ERH This 5–7 week program is for people who Need Additional Information? Cardiology Director, Oliver Chan, ERH Cardiology Manager and Charlene Giovannetti-King, Executive have heart disease, including recent release For more specific information on the Director ERH Foundation. from hospital after open heart surgery. The availability of these programs near your The Pacific Open Heart Association aim of the program is to help you manage home, refer to the package of information made a donation in support of the purchase your health and live a heart-healthy life each given out by the hospital, or contact your of event and holter monitors and software day. Family members are welcome to attend family doctor. for Eagle Ridge Hospital’s Cardiology as well. We recommend attending the first You can also dial 811 and request further Department. An event recorder will help session as soon as you are well enough after information on Cardiac Rehabilitation detect and diagnose irregular heartbeat leaving the hospital. Free patient and family Programs. known as atrial fibrillation. These may only self-management support sessions are led by Also, if you have access to the Internet, happen every few days but can cause any of our interdisciplinary teams. No referral is then search for: Cardiac Health Foundation these symptoms – heart palpitations, faint- required. Sessions include: understanding of Canada. ing spells, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest diagnosis, identifying personal health goals, pain or light-headedness. Donation to Royal Columbian Hospital Last year the Pacific Open Heart Associ- of that was used to purchase a Smartman quality CPR saves lives and the Smartman ation donated $8,000 to each of the three Training Manikin which provides CPR manikin is one of the most effective and heart surgery hospitals in Greater Vancou- training, assessment and practice to health innovative tools for improving CPR ver.