Patients Breathing Better Thanks to Pulmonary Rehab Program

When Jane Becker began the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, she had difficulties walking more than 10 minutes at a time due to a pulmonary health diagnosis.

Now, as a graduate of the program, she’s walking six to eight miles a week. 

“The staff at pulmonary rehab are so motivational and really pushed me to accomplish my goals of building up my strength and endurance,” said Becker, a Provo resident. “They taught me the importance of maintaining those goals, which is why I still go multiple times a week. When I first started the program, I had a hard time exercising at all, and now I can walk up to two miles with every visit.”

The six-week rehab program is designed to help people diagnosed with chronic respiratory diseases. A respiratory therapist educates patients on everything from breathing techniques and stress management to nutrition. The goal is to promote independence and increase the quality of life for those with conditions such as severe asthma or emphysema.

Patients meet four to five times per week. Each visit consists of exercising on a treadmill or recumbent bike while caregivers monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. Participants need referrals from their physicians along with qualifying documentation to be accepted into the program, and they must perform a six-minute walk test to evaluate their current activity level.

“We try to give these patients the tools they need to exercise at home and the confidence to perform daily activities,” said Joyce Lewallen, RT, program director. “I’ve been running this program since 1997 and I’ve learned that it’s the small things that count, like when a patient told me she was able to walk next door to see her daughter for the first time in years due to what she had gained here.”

One of the advantages of the rehab program, in addition to improved pulmonary function, is the social and group support, said Lewallen. Each class includes six or seven patients who help support each other’s goals and celebrate each other’s successes. Every patient gains more motivation when they see their peers triumph over similar obstacles.