Back on the Dance Floor
Armed with a comprehensive therapy program at her local hospital and a firm goal in her mind, this Ocean County mother was able to make her dream come true at her son's wedding.

All of Maureen's hard work paid off last summer, when she was able to kick up her heels at a very special family occasion following months of dedicated rehab.

Maureen Burke, 63, suffers from pulmonary hypertension disease. But when she was evaluated for a lung transplant in New York last year, she didn't qualify. So she was sent home with educational materials, oxygen therapy, suggestions for new breathing techniques…and a prescription for pulmonary rehabilitation. That's how she came to Ocean Medical Center's Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center in April 2005.

Maureen knew these measures wouldn't cure her disease, "but at a minimum, they would improve my quality of life." And that mattered very much to her, "because my son Brian was getting married in a few months, and it was important to me that I would be able to dance with him at his wedding."

Not a Quick Fix
A Point Pleasant Borough resident, Maureen was happy to discover that her local hospital was equipped with precisely the type of rehab center she needed. Comprehensive as Ocean's pulmonary rehabilitation program is, however, it consists of numerous elements in addition to physical rehab — like individualized assessment, training, prevention education, and psychological intervention — all of which require commitment and patience on the part of patients.

Maureen had stores of both, and so, with the support of her husband, Robert, she enthusiastically jumped into the program, learning the details of her condition and how to properly medicate it, performing the requisite muscle conditioning exercises, adjusting her nutritional and stress management needs, and undergoing breathing retraining to optimize respiratory functioning.

After completing the initial exercise and testing sessions, Maureen advanced to the program's "StepUp" phase, developed specifically for patients concerned about exercising independently. In showing patients how to monitor their own vital signs, the StepUp program leads to a healthier lifestyle for people dealing with lung disease. Each of the program's three weekly group exercise sessions is supervised by a nurse, an exercise physiologist, and a respiratory therapist. Participants are attracted not only to the group setting, but also to the program's location. Maureen speaks for many patients when she says, "I feel safe, and someone is always here to help me if I need it. Having the program in the hospital is a huge relief."

Making Great Strides
When Maureen first started rehab, her performance level was rated at "0." But after months on the treadmill, the recumbent bike, and the weight machines, she and Robert were delighted with her progress. So was Diane Jantausch, R.N., CCRN, one of the nurses who works with Maureen.

"As an Ocean Medical Center nurse with over 25 years of experience, this is my most rewarding position: to assist with rehabilitation and to see the accomplishments directly each day with each patient," Diane comments. "This program allows patients the opportunity to network and obtain support for their disease and common solutions to overwhelming fears and times." As for Maureen, she's no longer overwhelmed by her condition. She continues to exercise at the center three times a week and is thrilled to have left behind the days of only sedentary activities as her source of entertainment. She's back to traveling and socializing, and she's also able to contribute to the household responsibilities again, which makes her feel great.

"The team at Ocean has really helped me," Maureen says with a smile. "At my son's wedding last August, I was able to dance with him. I was the happiest mother alive to be able to do that."

– Beth Price