Charities help heart failure patients

Exercise has long been recognised as a vital way to rehabilitate patients recovering from a cardiac illness, and a new study is set to go even further in finding better ways to do just that.

Cardiac specialist nurse Gill Bromby – along with the help of the other heart failure nurse at Scunthorpe hospital, Louise Gore – is holding a twice weekly session for an 8 week period to complete a feasibility study to see if seated exercise using a DVD can be taught in a group.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Interest Group (CRIG), formed by several ex-patients of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, have kindly donated funding to the project to pay for a fitness instructor for 6 months whilst the study is undertaken.

Winterton and District Lions Club raised funds to buy blood pressure monitors, equipment trolleys, and a TV and DVD combo, to be able to put on exercise classes for patients who have suffered heart failure.

The chair based sessions are delivered by level 4 Cardiac rehabilitation fitness instructor, Angela Danby. Angela said: ‘The sessions are taught using a DVD to help give confidence and independence back to our patients who have suffered from heart failure’.

The feasibility study will take place over 6 month period and hopefully engage patients to become independent in their everyday lives.

Chair of CRIG Mickie 0’Toole said: “We set up CRIG to help patients who suffer from cardiac illness. We raise funds locally and give locally. We wanted to help push forward the research and development of how exercise can help the recovery of heart failure patients. Doctors give us our lives back the nurses give us permission to live it.”

Member of the Winterton and District Lions Club, Enid Bridge said: ‘We heard about the new group and knew we wanted to get involved. My husband has suffered from heart attacks in the past so it was close to my heart to get involved.’

Gill Bromby said: ‘The program works on 7 different levels of fitness, each patient carries out an incremental shuttle walk test to ascertain their level of fitness and they are prescribed exercise at seventy percent of their maximum.  We hope to boost patient’s confidence and self-esteem’.

If you would like any more information about the programme, please contact Cardiac specialist nurse Gill Bromby at Scunthorpe General Hospital on: 01724 282282.