Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) is provided by a health care team and covered by MSI. PR combines exercise, education, and additional support to improve your overall health and well-being. Programs run for up to three months with sessions twice a week. Each session is typically 1-2 hours long.
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation may help you to:
- Reduce your symptoms of shortness of breath and feeling tired.
- More easily do daily activities, such as taking a shower and cooking.
- Improve your muscle strength and flexibility.
- Improve your ability to walk and exercise.
- Be more physically active with less shortness of breath.
- Feel better and enjoy life more.
- Manage your weight.
- Learn how to manage your symptoms and avoid unplanned hospital visits.
Who is the program for?
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) program may be right for you if you have a chronic lung disease, such as COPD or lung fibrosis and if shortness of breath impacts your daily life and causing difficulty with your breathing, strength and/or endurance.
You may be a fit for PR if you:
- Have common signs and symptoms of chronic lung disease.
- Have shortness of breath, a stubborn cough, thick mucus and/or a wheeze.
- Have to stop to rest after walking a few minutes. Have shortness of breath and fatigue that causes problems at work.
- Have shortness of breath that prevents you from doing everyday things, such as taking a shower or vacuuming the floor.
Have feelings of stress or anxiety about your breathing.
What happens when I'm there?
Assessment
You will have at least one visit with members of the PR team in your area.
It will include an assessment of your current health, medications and physical abilities. You will also be required to complete some tests, such as an exercise stress test, prior to or during your assessment.
Exercise
You will attend supervised exercise classes two times per week.
Each class lasts about 1 hour
An exercise program will be developed for you based on your stress test, medical history, and goals.
Classes consist of a group warm-up, exercise in individual and group sessions, and a cool-down.
Education
Information about your condition will help you and your family manage your lung disease. The education sessions are about 1 hour long. The education sessions will teach you about:
- Exercise at home
- Inhaled medications and how to use them
- Lung structure and function
- Healthy food choices
- Home oxygen
- Coping with lung disease/stress management
- Advanced care planning
- Action plans to help manage flare ups of your lung disease symptoms
- Triggers and avoidance strategies
- Breathing/coughing techniques