Dhelkaya Health’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs making a difference
Accessing healthcare in a regional or rural area can be challenging. Heart disease affects 5.3% of the Mount Alexander Shire population, compared to 3.7% of the rest of Victoria. Dhelkaya Health’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs aim to reduce this difference. Our cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services provide comprehensive rehabilitation services crucial for improving quality of life and enhancing long-term health outcomes.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured program designed to support individuals recovering from heart-related events or surgeries, like a heart attack or stent operation. These programs are led by healthcare professionals and offer tailored advice, education, and supervised exercise to help people recover and return to normal activities sooner. Research indicates cardiac rehabilitation can lead to significant benefits, including improved physical fitness, reduced risk of future heart problems, and enhanced emotional wellbeing.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is an evidence-based program to support individuals with chronic lung conditions, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This program combines exercise training and education to help people manage their condition, improve breathing, and reduce hospital admissions. Participants often experience increased exercise tolerance, making daily activities like walking, showering, or gardening easier and less tiring.
Both cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs involve a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including:
- Registered nurses to monitor health progress and provide education
- Exercise physiologists and physiotherapists to guide safe and effective physical activity
- Dietitians to offer nutritional advice to support recovery
- Social workers to provide emotional support and resources
- Pharmacists to educate on the role and importance of medications
- Occupational therapists to assist with energy conservation and pacing techniques.
The ‘I-HEART: Implementation of Heart Failure Guidelines in Regional Australia’ project is a ground breaking initiative aimed at improving the outcomes of heart failure patients in rural and regional areas.
The project tackles the significant health gap between urban and regional communities, where heart failure-related deaths are 16% higher. I-HEART delivers specialist care through telehealth services and nurse-led clinics, ensuring timely and consistent access to best-practice heart failure treatment.
Key features of the clinic include:
- Nurse-led heart failure clinics in regional hospitals
- Telehealth consultations within a week of hospital discharge and follow-ups to prevent readmission
- Over 30 decision support tools to assist clinicians
- Support from Austin Health’s Cardiology team to increase access to medical specialists.
The clinic aims to reduce hospital readmissions, improve quality of life, and build local healthcare capacity.
We accept referrals from all healthcare professionals. People from the community can also self-refer. For more information, including submitting referrals, please contact our intake team on 5471 3575 or intake@castlemainehealth.org.au
Left to right: Bethany Reynolds, Physiotherapist; Carolyn Foley, Registered Nurse; Ann Moore, Exercise Physiologist
Not pictured: Janice Douglass, Registered Nurse, Program Lead
