Cardiac Services
Cardiac Wellness
and Rehabilitation Centre
Trillium Health
Centre - West Toronto
A heart-felt partnership
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| Judy McFarlane exercises at UTM's gym
following her heart surgery. The Trillium - UTM partnership
has greatly improved her quality of life. |
Doctors advised
Judy McFarlane to take up walking after her heart surgery.
Starting an exercise program alone seemed daunting so she
joined Trillium’s Cardiac Wellness and Rehabilitation
Centre (CWRC).
CWRC staff develop
exercise routines for each patient and provide education on
keeping heart healthy. “With the CWRC team watching
over me, I felt safe and reassured I was exercising correctly,”
says Judy.
Now patients can
exercise at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) state-of-the-art
fitness facility. This Trillium-UTM partnership has changed
Judy’s quality of life. “I never would have begun
exercising on my own,” says Judy. “Both my husband
and I purchased gym memberships to UTM.”
For more
information on the CWRC, call 905.848.7580, ext. 4068.
For a UTM gym membership, call 905.828.3714.
 Great-West
Life gives back
Each year, hundreds
of graduates of Trillium’s CWRC participate in a Walk
of Life at Centennial Park. This year staff from Great-West
Life Assurance Company joined in. Great-West is the new three-year
local sponsor of the Walk of Life. Together, former patients
and Great-West Life staff raised $50,000 for new cardiac rehabilitation
equipment.
The Cardiac Wellness
and Rehabilitation Centre (CWRC) opened in 2001 at Trillium
- West Toronto . Overlooking the panoramic Etobicoke Creek
the CWRC provides assessment, education, support and personalized
exercise plans to patients recovering from heart attacks,
angioplasty, and bypass surgery, and cares for those recently
diagnosed with heart disease.
Patients and their
families are provided with information and education on heart
health, smoking cessation, stress management, good nutrition,
managing medications, understanding diabetes and vocational
counselling. An exercise routine is also developed for each
patient keeping their personal health needs in mind.
The goal of this
four-month program is to reduce the incidence of repeat cardiac
problems and to improve patients' quality of life. During
the first year after a person has suffered a cardiac arrest
they are more prone to suffering a second one than at any
other time. In its first year of operation, Trillium's CWRC
is happy to report its patient population has reported no
significant cardiac setbacks.
Family members are
encouraged to participate in the educational components of
the program. A spousal support program facilitated by a psychologist
is also provided.
Patients are accepted
into the program six to eight weeks after bypass surgery,
and two to four weeks following a heart attack or angioplasty.
All patients must have a referral from their cardiologist,
cardiovascular surgeon or family physician.
The CWRC
recently developed an exercise video for patients to use at
home. Go to Exercise
For Your Heart - The Beat Goes On for more information
on this video.
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