For heart#039;s sake
Published 12:00 am Saturday, July 6, 2002
Every step everybody takes is a heart beat of proof that health education and exercise make a difference.
Just look around you.
They are everywhere in the summertime.
Walking the Mill Pond Pathway in Horace Austin Park.
Striding purposely along city streets in residential neighborhoods.
Keeping pace with friends, while dodging shoppers, at Oak Park Mall.
Stepping gingerly along the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center hiking trails.
Walking for pleasure or necessity.
From Shirley Theel Park on the city's far west side to the new Wescott Athletic Field running track. From blacktopped Mower County roads bordering the Austin city limits to the heart of the central business district.
Everywhere one goes, people are walking.
It is summertime which means good weather for a walk in the morning, afternoon or night to walk a little or a lot, to walk fast or slow.
Baby steps or giant steps, it all feels right, whether it's a casual evening stroll or a matter of life or death.
Austin Medical Center
is area's "Heart Center"
Cheryl Westrum, a registered nurse, is the cardiac pulmonary rehabilitation supervisor, at Austin Medical Center – Mayo Health System.
Her nursing career spans 29 years; 21 at AMC or its predecessor, St. Olaf Hospital in Austin. She also spent seven years at St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester.
Since 1993, she has headed the AMC cardiac pulmonary rehabilitation program.
According to Westrum, the program in Austin started in the 1970s.
"That was the time of no bypass operations or
other procedures that are commonplace today," Westrum said. "Things were just starting to change in the area of cardiac care. Shorter hospital stays after heart attacks were being ordered and there was a greater emphasis on education.
"In both pulmonary rehabilitation and cardiac rehab, we were dealing with a smarter population and a good rehab program was something they wanted."
Pulmonary rehabilitation at AMC is designed to help patients maintain healthier lungs through supervised exercise sessions and health education.
The AMC has become a designated "Heart Center" under the auspices of Mayo Health System.
The pulmonary and cardiac rehab programs are separate services of AMC with individually designed components to improve cardiovascular health.
Westrum and her staff deal with a population that is aging -- the vast majority of the patients are middle age or older, but the program supervisor said heart disease is an equal-opportunity illness.
"We have more men than women, but we are seeing more women come through the program today than ever before," Westrum said. "The age range is from the late 20s to the 90s. We had a women who was 96 successfully complete the program."
The cardiac rehab program is a multifaceted and multi-disciplined approach to reducing the overall cardiovascular risks.
The program begins with a patent referral from a doctor. Then, Westrum and her staff will make an assessment to individualize the program for a particular patient.
More parts of the educational components of the program include nutritional counseling, risk factor management, information about hypertension, weight loss, diabetes and smoking, plus psychosocial management, physical activity counseling and exercise training
"We offer individual training and education to treat the whole person,"
Westrum said. The AMC program offers three to four classes each day and can handle a maximum of 24 patients each day.
Westrum's crew includes a group of talented and experienced health care professionals.
Kari Weber, respiratory therapist, Cathy Domino, exercise physiologist, and Katie Bergstrom, cardiac rehab technician, all give each patient a finely tuned blend of education and exercise.
The latter is something they hope each patent will make a life-time choice.
Unique program gives patients healthy options
Westrum repeats what other health care providers constantly preach: regular exercise can increase your strength and endurance, maintain a healthy weight and reduce health risks associated with coronary disease.
The cardiac rehab program's exercise component incorporates aerobics using treadmill, bicycle, arm ergometer and hand weights.
For those who complete the cardiac rehab program or Phase II, there is a follow up program designed to help them continue to maintain a healthier lifestyle through supervised exercise sessions and health education.
The AMC program is fully certified and Westrum and her staff link up with a network of cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs around the nation to keep the material fresh and relevant to changing health needs.
There is also medical supervision of the rehab programs by AMC medical staff.
"I think the programming we offer is unique,"
Westrum said, "There are the elements of education and exercise that are so important, but we also take the time to get to know our patients. We want to offer them a cheerful and happy atmosphere to make their participation satisfying."
To that extent, the AMC programs offer a monthly breakfast meeting setting for survivors to discuss mutual health concerns and receive the reinforcement of each other on the way to recovery. A representative of the AMC program attends the meetings to provide any professional counseling anyone may need.
Rehabilitation helps
with lifestyle changes
"We're constantly striving to stay on top of all things in the area of rehabilitation," Westrum said. "We're working hard to meet all our goals for the programs. If patients don't know why they need to make changes in their diets and lifestyles, something like a heart attack can be a very scary experience.
"The rehab programs help remove those fears and give people alternatives to allow them to live healthier lives for a longer period of time."
During her lengthy career, Westrum has seen an evolution in cardiac rehab.
"One of the biggest milestones occurred when rehab programs became a credible, acceptable health care option for the providers to cover. That was a huge milestone for us and it allowed many, many more patients to come to us for the help we offered.
"Until then, we always had to prove our validity, but no longer do we have to do that."
Westrum is not shy about saying how important the rehab programs are because of the "excellent physician support" they receive.
"We know the physicians are behind us. They make the referrals and they are very supportive of what we are doing for their patients," she said.
But Westrum said the satisfaction from helping another survivor successfully complete the program is uplifting beyond measure.
"Just seeing somebody who has come to us for the 12 weeks of rehab, somebody who has maybe had a heart attack or a bypass procedure and who completes the program and walks out the door a completely different person, that is the most satisfying part of our job," Westrum said. "It makes it all worthwhile to know we have made a difference in their lives and hopefully, they will make the necessary changes to their lifestyle that will allow them to live longer and healthier lives."
Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com