Jaye Waggoner, BAA
Heart disease and stroke are the top killers of Canadians. There are currently more than 500 cardiovascular disease-related research studies underway in Canada, in an effort to reduce the numbers who succumb to these conditions.
Despite the statistics, not all are doomed to a date with a heart attack. Even those who have already fallen victim to some aspect of heart disease can turn their health around with the right professional help. This help can be found at Cardiac Rehabilitation Centres, through the varied rehabilitation programs that they and other organizations offer.
Although the focus has changed since its doors opened in 1922, when its main function was meeting the rehabilitation needs of Canadians wounded in the First World War, The Toronto Rehabilitation Centre is still striving to help patients. The Centre has since split in half, with the Toronto Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre now specializing in recovery for heart patients. It was the first of its kind and is today the largest centre of its kind in North America.
Accepting referrals, the Centre's mandate is to assist cardiac patients to reach their "optimal physical, cognitive, functional and social potential and in doing so to improve their quality of life.
