Emoyamed Hospital in Bloemfontein has a nineteen bed Acute Physical Rehabilitation Unit where people can receive physical rehabilitation after a cardiovascular incident. Pulane Nel-Sekepe spoke to Petro Schoeman, physiotherapist and one of the managers of the Greymil Physical Rehabilitation practice, to find out more:

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A cardiovascular incident, such as a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, can have profound and multifaceted effects on an individual, impacting not only their physical health but also their emotional, psychological, social, and financial well-being. These effects include both short-term and long-term consequences that extend beyond the physical damage caused by the event itself. In South Africa, cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) is a leading cause of death and disability.

This brings us to the important question: “What do I do if me, or my loved one has suffered a cardiovascular incident?”

Following a debilitating cardiovascular incident, you can request referral from your attending specialist doctor to an Acute Physical Rehabilitation Unit. Once medically stable, admission to such an Acute Physical Rehabilitation facility is a vital part of your road to recovery.

Emoyamed Hospital Bloemfontein offers a licensed Acute Rehabilitation Unit, with a holistic, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation service by the GreyMil Rehab team. During admission to Emoyamed’s Rehabilitation Unit, you will be provided with personalised rehabilitation, directed to enhance your function and quality of life and to enable you to return to life as independent as possible.

During admission to Emoyamed Hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation Unit, you can expect: 

• Daily doctor’s rounds (to oversee the medical aspects of recovery in liaison with your referring specialist, manage medications, monitor progress, and adjust treatment plans as needed)
• Rehabilitation nursing (offering continuous care, advocating for optimal independence within your ability, patient education, wound care, emotional support, medication management)
• Individual therapy sessions by the GreyMil Rehab team during the mornings and afternoon
• Group therapy and simulation of everyday life activities to enhance skills learned in individual sessions
• Continuous education regarding your pathology and strategies to optimise your independence
• Ward programmes to allow practice of learned skills in therapy
• Assistance with prescription and ordering of the needed mobility equipment and assistive devices (e.g. wheelchairs, bath aids, grab rails, commode)
• Assistance with discharge/home planning and recruitment of caregivers if applicable
• Close family members are involved and supported by means of shared goal setting, family meetings, regular feedback, patient specific family training and emotional support.

The number of therapy sessions per day, as well as the kind of therapy intervention is tailored to your unique rehabilitation needs. Daily therapy sessions may include:

• Physiotherapy (to improve mobility, strength, balance, and cardiovascular function)
• Occupational therapy (focusing on restoring the ability to perform daily activities, such as dressing, eating, and grooming, and work on fine motor skills and cognitive tasks that may be affected by stroke or cardiovascular conditions)
• Dietetic intervention (provide guidance on heart-healthy diets and nutrition to support optimal rehabilitation participation and recovery and to prevent further nutrition-related complications)
• Speech, language and feeding therapy (address speech, language, and swallowing difficulties, which are often common after stroke)
• Social work support (emotional support of and liaison between the patient, family and involved rehab team members, assistance with home planning and facilitation of optimal residential and/community integration, as well as return to work)
• Psychology support (help patients cope with the emotional and psychological impact of stroke or heart disease, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress)

It is estimated that a person’s heart will beat about 3 billion times from birth to the age of 90 years. Following a life changing cardiovascular incident, Acute Physical Rehabilitation is a vital part of your recovery. At Emoyamed Hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation Unit, we are here to support you to return to life, as independent as possible, making each heartbeat count.

For more information on Acute Physical Rehabilitation for those who’s function is affected by a cardiovascular incident, please visit our website or contact us at Emoyamed Hospital Bloemfontein. GreyMil Physical Rehab @ Emoyamed Hospital Bloemfontein - yours in exceptional, quality healthcare. Return to function, return to life.