P.R.E.V.E.N.T.: Your Cardiac rehab & Risk-reversal clinic

Whether you have been referred to us after a cardiac event or your physician is concerned about escalating risk factors, your Cardiac rehab & Risk-reversal journey will include these three elements:

EDUCATION - At the heart of everything is understanding your situation and what you can do about it. We have developed a week-long lecture series that kicks-off the cardiac rehab program. The lecture series runs every month for newly enrolled patients. Depending on the needs of each group, the lectures may include a combination of topics including:

1. medication education
2. dietary changes
3. smoking cessation
4. diabetes management
5. stress management
6. yoga and mindfulness instruction
7. introduction to CPR and resuscitation
8. And more...

EXERCISE TRAINING - You may be referred to us after undergoing a major cardiac event, receiving a diagnosis of new heart disease or being identified with elevated-risk for future cardiac events. Such a life altering experience can bring on a new type of anxiety; it can be scary incorporating physical activity back into your life, not knowing what is and is not safe to do. With medically-supervised and individualized training in a group-gym, cardiac rehab will reintroduce exercise in a safe and motivating way, altering your life for the better.

LIFESTYLE COUNSELLING - Dietary counselling is a cornerstone of Cardiac rehab & Risk-reversal and is available to patients throughout the program. As well, smoking cessation counselling is available for those who need it.

If you are experiencing elevated life-stress, anxiety, anger or depression, rest assured that you are not alone. These are very normal reactions to a cardiac event and heart disease diagnosis. We will help you with this too.

After the initial assessment, your clinic coordinator will meet you for a weekly check-in.

The P.R.E.V.E.N.T. clinic can only accept patients into the Cardiac rehab & Risk-reversal program with a referral from a healthcare provider. Ask your practitioner to fill out and fax the referral form to our office.

If you were admitted to hospital for a cardiac event or heart surgery, a cardiac rehabilitation referral should be made automatically upon discharge: you should receive a call from us within a few weeks of returning home. If you have not received a call from us to book a date for your first appointment, please contact your healthcare provider to send the referral from.

Most P.R.E.V.E.N.T. appointments, including your initial assessment, take about 1 hour. It is important to be on time since a single appointment at the P.R.E.V.E.N.T. clinic can impact the scheduling of multiple service providers and fellow patients. As well, please give the courtesy of a 48-hours cancellation or rescheduling notice.

On the day of your appointment, dress in comfortable exercise clothing. Remember to bring:

• Your 3-Day Diary- record everything you eat and drink along with what exercise you have done over the last three days
• Medications list--please have a list ready of all the medications you are taking, including herbal supplements, along with their dosage and frequency
• Running shoes/sneakers--please do not wear your indoor running shoes to the office. We must protect our testing and exercise equipment from the weathering elements.
• OHIP Card
• A Support Person--if reading or writing is difficult for you or if English is not your preferred language, it may be easier for you to have a trusted support person with you at your first appointment to help you however you need.

At each P.R.E.V.E.N.T. clinic appointment, your blood pressure and weight will be checked and medical reports will be reviewed. At your first appointment, and at set intervals throughout the P.R.E.V.E.N.T. process, we will conduct an ECG test to check the electrical functioning of your heart along with any other cardiac tests that are appropriate to your condition.

A clinic coordinator or nurse will review your 3-day diary of diet, drink and exercise as well as any symptoms or concerns you may have. Finally, they will discuss areas of your cardiovascular health that need improvement and will provide you with a “report card” that you will bring to each appointment to be updated weekly. The report card will provide you with an ongoing record of your heart-health status and progress. It will summarize your health and lifestyle goals, list community resources to help you achieve your goals, and keep updated recommendations of medication and lifestyle interventions to further reduce your cardiovascular risk. You may not see the cardiologist at all of these appointments, but they do supervise and coordinate all cardiac care individually, for you, at the clinic.

Your clinic coordinator will provide you with an updated exercise class list as well as a list of the lectures recommended for you during your education week of seminars. Please arrive 15 minutes before the beginning of the class to ensure your registration and seat is secured.

Exercise classes run 45-50 minutes each. Remember to bring the following:

1. Indoor running shoes (bring them rather than wearing them to class)
2. Comfortable exercise clothes
3. Water
4. Exercise Diary: please submit your diary to the exercise class supervisor when you arrive
5. Glucometer
6. A snack (if you are diabetic)

Education week lectures run from 1 to 2 hours in length depending on the topic. Any necessary lecture materials will be provided to you. Simply remember to bring a bottle of water and, if you are diabetic, a healthy snack.