Caroline's first cardiac rehab patient wanted one thing after her heart failure diagnosis, to get the bus to Birkenhead on her own. A man in his mid-nineties couldn't get up from a chair without help, and finished his 10 weeks doing six sit-to-stands to a round of applause. So why is cardiac rehab still treated as an optional extra? In this first episode of a two-part series, Nick Hartshorne-Evans - founder and CEO of the Pumping Marvellous Foundation - sits down with Caroline Golder, lead nurse for cardiac rehab on the Wirral, and Jen Hannay, lead clinical exercise physiologist in the same service. Jen describes rehab as a bookshelf. You take down the books you need, and exercise is only one of them, alongside education, food, stress and getting your medication right. Caroline explains why an ejection fraction of 10% doesn't on its own keep anyone out of their gym, and why everyone is assessed before they start. They talk about whether exercise is safe with heart failure, why rehab should count as the fifth pillar of treatment next to the four medicines, what happens when the 10 weeks end and the support stops, and why people with preserved ejection fraction are still less likely to be offered it. Nick asks for two 30-second pitches, one to a commissioner and one to a patient. On the Wirral, more people started turning up once the first phone call stopped offering "a bit of exercise" and started saying "you've been referred for the next part of your treatment". In this episode: 00:00: Welcome to Heart Failure Unfiltered 00:27: Marvellous myth buster 00:48: Meet Caroline and Jen, and what cardiac rehab is 03:47: Why it isn't only exercise 05:32: The bus to Birkenhead 07:43: Younger patients and evening sessions 10:54: Why your ejection fraction doesn't rule you out 13:34: Is exercise safe with heart failure? 17:01: The fifth pillar of treatment 19:29: Changing habits, food and the dietitian 24:47: Six sit-to-stands in his mid-nineties 26:45: "The next part of your treatment" 29:30: Commissioning, HFpEF and capacity 34:15: 30 seconds with a commissioner, then a patient 36:42: Phase 4 and life after rehab 🫀 If heart failure is part of your life, you don't have to face it alone. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation is the UK's leading heart failure charity, patient-led, trusted, and here for you. ⚡ B.E.A.T. Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, Time to tell your GP or nurse. If you have a combination of these, speak to your GP surgery. Heart failure is diagnosed with a simple blood test. 🔗 Visit: www.pumpingmarvellous.org 💬 Peer support, search "Help for Hearts" on Facebook and apply to join 💛 Donate £5 today and help someone feel less alone #HeartFailure #CardiacRehab #BEATHF #PumpingMarvellous #HeartFailureUnfiltered #CardiacRehabilitation #LivingWithHeartFailure #HeartFailureAwareness #ExerciseAndHeartFailure #SelfManagement #Breathlessness #HFpEF #EjectionFraction #PeerSupport #CardiacCare #NHS #HeartHealth #ChronicIllness #PatientAdvocacy #UKCharity
