About Us
The Cardiology Department has a dedicated, skilled and specially-trained team of professionals providing care to coronary patients and their families. Members of the team have expertise in a variety of disciplines which aids the recovery process. Specialist doctors, nurses, technicians, dietitians, physiotherapists and social workers work with coronary patients.
Conultant Cardiologists:
- Dr Vincent Maher
- Dr David Mulcahy
- Dr David Moore
- Dr Deirdre Ward
Dietitian: Ms Orla Millar
The cardiology Dietitian works as part of a multidisciplinary cardiology team, and provides a dietetic service to in-patients, out-patients and patients on the cardiac rehabilitation programme.
The cardiology Dietitian is a health professional that is qualified to give accurate advice and information on all aspects of nutrition and diet. During your cardiac rehabilitation programme, you will meet the dietitian, who holds two nutrition education sessions for each group of patients on the programme. These sessions focus on nutrition for a healthy heart via a cardio protective diet.
Senior Physiotherapist: Ms Victoria Jones
The main role of the physiotherapist in cardiac rehabilitation focuses on the exercise component of the programme. The physiotherapist is involved in specific exercise prescription for all the patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation, determining their appropriate exercise levels and conducting the supervised exercise classes. The physiotherapist also gives educational talks to patients and relatives both before enrolling on the programme and during the programme about the benefits of exercise and types of exercise that they should be participating in. We would encourage you to begin walking regularly as soon as you feel able after your cardiac incident. Start gradually and build up slowly, aiming for 30 – 45 minutes daily.
Social Worker: Mr Tom Norton
Stress Management/Relaxation Training
During the stress management course, people learn simple, easily repeatable relaxation skills that they can use in any situation to relieve the effects of stress.
These include breathing techniques, stretching, tension-release cycle, thought-stopping, visualisation and relaxation.
These skills are taught in a jargon-free and easily understood way so that patients and partners can start to create a positive new ‘habit’ in their lives by practicing them at anytime.
It is important to understand that stress does not cause cardiac illness in the same way as say smoking, high cholesterol or positive family history does but stress exacerbates the effects of these risk-factors on the heart, so it is obviously good practice to reduce stress on the body whenever possible.
Did you know that stress is a ‘physiological’ event? This means that stress occurs as a result of a “stressor” which is an event that happens outside of the body or mind
Sometimes how you think about a stressful situation can help you deal with and help you to relax or it may have the opposite effect and cause you stress
The stress management course offered through the cardiac rehabilitation program will help you to recognise the symptoms of stress and how to deal with stressful situations
