Page 42 - Petelin, Ana. 2024. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | Health of the Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik prispevkov z recenzijo | Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press

subsequent clinical procedures. In the United States, 86 % of deaths from IHD
occur in individuals over the age of 65 (Menezes et al., 2014b).
The increasing incidence of IHD reflects a greater prevalence of risk fac-
tors such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, hypertension, and an
ageing population. Research indicates that a sedentary lifestyle is a significant
modifiable risk factor. More than 60 % of adults in the United States do not en-
gage in regular physical activity, and 25 % are completely inactive. This seden-
tary lifestyle, combined with a hypercaloric diet, contributes to the metabolic
syndrome (Menezes et al., 2014).
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an individualised, multidisciplinary treat-
ment approach for patients with IHD. CR is designed to optimise the patient’s
physical, psychological, and social function, aiming to slow down or even im-
prove the progression of IHD (Servey and Stephens, 2016).
Essentially, CR begins during hospitalisation in the first phase, involving
42 early mobilisation of stable patients to enable them to perform light daily ac-
tivities. Due to increasingly shorter hospital stays, it is challenging to prepare
zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | health of working-age and older adults
a detailed exercise programme within a few days, so the treatment is limited
to a brief explanation of the disease and motivation for continued treatment.
The second phase of CR is the most crucial, which will be discussed further in
the following sections. The third phase is vital as it represents a true lifestyle
change that patients are encouraged to maintain over time. The quality of ser-
vices provided during the second phase of CR is critical, with coronary associ-
ations offering additional support to patients (Mampuya, 2012).
CR represents a structured and supervised process of secondary preven-
tion and rehabilitation for cardiovascular patients. While acute hospital treat-
ment durations have decreased, rehabilitation programmes have been extend-
ed. Short-term spa programmes are being replaced by long-term outpatient
rehabilitation (Jug, 2024). Numerous studies highlight the long-term effective-
ness of rehabilitation, which reduces symptoms such as chest pain, dyspnea,
fatigue, and the risk of recurrent MI. It has been proven that regular and ap-
propriately prescribed physical activity extends life and reduces mortality by
20–25 %. For coronary patients, it is crucial to incorporate regular, planned,
and structured physical activity into their lifestyle to improve aerobic and mus-
cular capacity and maintain or enhance health (Vižintin Cuderman, 2017).
In foreign CR programmes, patients are referred for MI, bypass surgery,
stent placement, chronic stable angina pectoris, heart failure, pacemaker im-
plantation, and defibrillator insertion. Common components include: physical
exercise, dietary counselling, behavioural counselling, smoking cessation pro-
grammes, and health monitoring of blood pressure, lipid levels, and blood sug-
ar. The positive effects of CR include reduced mortality, decreased incidence of
depression (by approximately 40 %), improved functional capacity, increased
exercise tolerance, weight loss, lipid control, reduced hospitalisations, and im-
proved quality of life (Servey and Stephens, 2016).