Cutting exercise program a real pain for some
An Alberta Health Services decision to stop funding an exercise program at the YMCA is affecting about 60 people with chronic health conditions, says the Y’s CEO.
For the past 14 years, AHS has provided $15,000 a year toward the cost of the Living Fit program, which has benefited more than 420 people over the years, said CEO Sharon Hayward.
For the past two years, Mary Ellen and Chuck Watkins have attended several times a week. Chuck has struggled with chronic pain, and had to have foot reconstruction and two knee replacement surgeries. Mary Ellen has health challenges also. Neither had been involved in an exercise program before. They say the presence of trained staff who provide guidance and advice has been crucial to their ongoing participation and confidence.
“Without this we would have been at home,” said Mary Ellen, who wrote to the minister of health, MLA Bob Wanner and the Palliser Triangle Health Advisory Council about the decision to stop funding.
AHS made the decision to stop the funding after noticing there was no contract attached to it, no time frame identified and no objectives to meet for continuation, AHS senior operating officer Grant Walker told PT HAC last Monday.
“It’s a program with a lot of history in the community,” said Hayward, who believes the funding started under the Palliser Health Region — before the days of AHS.
“After the staff member who was teaching the program left AHS, the exercise program continued at the YMCA but was no longer delivered by our staff, nor was it delivered to AHS patients,” said Walker.
If the funding is not restored, there will be a gap.
“It will put us in a financial crunch,” said Hayward, who has been CEO since September 2016. “I hope they (AHS) will come back to the table.”
AHS offers the Alberta Healthy Living program, a 12-week “medically supervised exercise program” provided free of charge, tailored to participants to improve general endurance, muscle strength, balance, and flexibility for people with chronic conditions, a spokesperson for AHS said in an email. Activities include walking, stretching and muscle strengthening exercises at different levels. Participants work under the supervision of health-care professionals to maximize safety and patient outcomes.
“Many times, people with chronic conditions might not be ready for a community program, so AHLP and other departments use a holistic team approach and modified programming, and can also help refer them for additional support if needed, like additional OT (occupational therapy) and PT (physiotherapy) support,” said the AHS spokesperson.
It is the continuous support and monitoring of progress at the Y’s Living Fit program that is so valuable, said Mary Ellen. Some participants have great difficulty even walking, she said, and the oversight is invaluable, especially if you don’t have a private health plan to cover extensive physiotherapy.
The continuity of care encourages individuals. The money invested up front can keep people active and would be a lot less costly than treating someone in acute care, said PTHAC member Paul Nederveen at the Monday meeting.