Heart Disease, Heart Health and Diabetes
Leading the Way to a Healthier Heart
Heart disease and stroke are the number one cause of death in Canada. And heart disease fills more hospital beds in this country than any other illness or injury.
Heart disease (also known as cardiovascular disease) reduces physical health, strength and fitness. It increases anxiety and stress. It also increases a person’s risk of heart attack and death.
But there is good news. Cardiac rehabilitation reduces the risk of dying from another cardiac event by as much as 50 per cent. It improves quality of life and emotional well-being. And it helps people to return to work sooner.
Toronto Rehab—Maximizing Life
Toronto Rehab is home to one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive
outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs.
Our scientifically-proven approach combines exercise, education and lifestyle change. Individuals achieve their goals with the support of our interprofessional health care team. And we help people maintain their progress with ongoing support after they leave the program.
We integrate the latest research in order to deliver superior outcomes for each and every individual. In fact, our researchers work side by side with the health care team. Our patients participate in research—and benefit from discoveries as we make them.
Taking on Diabetes
Eighty per cent of people with diabetes will die from heart disease or stroke.
Toronto Rehab is one of the few rehabilitation hospitals in Canada to offer a
diabetes rehabilitation program. We’ve adapted our highly effective cardiac program to create an approach to exercise, education and lifestyle change specifically for people with diabetes.
Programs to Meet Every Need
More than 1,800 men and women participate in our programs each year. We provide a variety of options to meet individual needs, including:
Finding Solutions that Work
Toronto Rehab researchers continue to find new solutions to prevent and manage cardiac disease and diabetes. Our patients benefit from these discoveries and we’re also sharing them with rehabilitation providers across the country and around the world. Recent innovations include:
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Cardiac rehabilitation for people living outside large centres or in underserved areas through our Cardiac Rehab @ Home program.
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A portable device to detect sleep apnea, a condition that contributes to the risk of heart attack.
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An electronic monitoring system developed with Wilfrid Laurier University to help diabetics better manage their blood sugar levels.