Because she lives with both a defibrillator and a pacemaker in her chest, 85-year-old Bev Schneider is absolutely committed to taking good care of her heart. That’s the reason, for the past several years, Bev has been participating in the Cardiac Rehab program at Palo Alto County Health System. In addition to the Phase III Cardiac Rehab program that Bev attends, Palo Alto also offers a Phase II program, designed for patients immediately after they are discharged from a hospital, as well as a Cardiac Rehab Support Group.
During her one-hour workout twice a week, Bev works out on a treadmill, a recumbent stepper and an upper body ergometer machine. “Vienna Hahle and the rest of the staff are all very caring and considerate,” Bev says. “Everyone treats me like a queen. They take my blood pressure twice during every visit and hook me up once a month to an EKG to monitor my heart. When I sometimes call in to say I’m not coming, they want to know what’s going on. But usually, it’s because I’m just feeling lazy that day.” Bev is also a big fan of Amy Frields, a family medicine nurse practitioner with Palo Alto County Health System. “I just love her,” Bev says. “She really does take good care of me, like all the people at Palo Alto County Health System.”
