Cardiac rehab programs work

Say hello to 85-year-old Beverly. After a severe heart attack she went from shuffling along to dancing the two-step thanks to her enthusiastic participation in a cardiac rehab program. And she’s working out at a fitness center three days a week. “I don’t think I could have done this alone,” she told HealthyYou. “I’m grateful this rehab program exists. It has given me back my health.”

Cardiac rehab is for folks who have heart failure or stable angina, who’ve had a heart attack or received a stent or stents, or have had bypass surgery, a valve replacement or repair, or a heartlung transplant.

It’s proven to keep you out of the hospital, extend longevity and improve quality of life and mood.

So why did a study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes find that only 24% of folks on Medicare who qualify for and need cardio rehab participate in it, even when it’s free? And why did only 29% of them complete the recommended course of 36 hour-long sessions?

Research shows the obstacles may be: cardiac-event-related depression; lack of access to a facility, physical weakness and lack of doctor insistence. If you’re a candidate for cardio rehab, investigate Medicare-provided and hospital-based ride programs to get you there. Talk to your doc about the benefits for you. Then look for support groups, such as those through the American Heart Association Support Network.

You can rehab from, and even reverse, cardio issues. So don’t settle for less than a satisfying life. You can achieve better health and happiness.