PULMONARY EXERCISE PROGRAMME
The Pulmonary Exercise Programme at OraKinetics is a supervised exercise programme designed to provide comprehensive care for patients with pulmonary conditions to support them to become more physically active and independent while learning to manage their pulmonary condition.
The objectives of the OraKinetics Pulmonary Exercise Programme is to:
Increase the functional exercise capacity of the patient
Provide safe individualised and supervised exercise programmes
Provide patient and family support, and develop basic knowledge of exercise
Promote positive lifestyle changes, including nutrition, weight loss, stress management and smoking cessation
Link patients to education sessions and organizations relevant to pulmonary disease
Decrease feelings of anxiety and depression, and increase self-confidence and overall health
Eligible Candidates
Patients with any of the following conditions may be eligible for the programme:
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Asthma
Emphysema
Chronic Bronchitis
Cystic Fibrosis
Restrictive Lung Disease
Bronchiectasis
Entry Criteria
A physician’s or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) referral from Te Whatu Ora Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua | Midcentral is required for admission to the Pulmonary Exercise Programme. If certain entry criteria are met, the 10-week program will be fully funded..
NOTE: Participants must have quit smoking, or intend to quit smoking before starting the Pulmonary Exercise Programme.
Pulmonary Exercise Testing
All patients referred to the clinic will undergo a pre-training assessment involving completion of health questionnaires, a submaximal cycle exercise testing (possibly with an ECG) and other functional tests as required.
Exercise Programme and
Monitored Exercise Sessions
Based on the results from the exercise testing, and presence of other health/musculoskeletal conditions, an individualised exercise programme will be developed.
Exercise sessions are held twice per week for the 10-week programme. Each session will generally include:
Flexibility, endurance and strength training
Continuous supervision and monitoring of exercise responses
Progression closely monitored and recorded
Patient and physician feedback provided after baseline testing and again after the 10-week re-testing
Patient Monitoring
Heart rate, blood pressure, SaO2 and 30 second ECG will be checked before, during and after each exercise session. This ensures each patient is both safe to undertake their exercise programme and that they have recovered as expected before leaving OraKinetics.