Coast to coast - without leaving town

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT AREA HOSPITAL

************************* SAH dialysis program walks from Victoria to Newfoundland!

June 19, 2007 - Patients of Sault Area Hospital’s (SAH) Renal Dialysis program embarked on a walking program in the fall of 2006 with the goal of reaching 9,776,250 steps, or the number of steps between Victoria, BC and St. John’s, NL.

Program coordinators Shirley Pulkkinen, Registered Social Worker, and Kim Fisher, Registered Dietitian, hoped to encourage hemodialysis patients to increase their physical activity and promote improved physical functioning.

Four teams set out on a virtual Cross Canada Challenge in September 2006 using step counters to log the number of steps they took daily.

Finally, on June 7, the members of Team Purple reached Newfoundland first.

This initiative was inspired by Active 2010 a provincial strategy to increase physical activity by the year 2010.

“Active 2010 recommends that children, youth and adults take at least 10,000 steps per day, and adults with a chronic health condition aim for 4000 to 7000 steps per day,” says Pulkkinen.

The goal is to get everyone as active as possible.

“Studies have shown that dialysis patients who exercise during their treatment experience less cramps, better toxin removal and walk out of the treatment feeling better than those who do not,” explains Fisher. “Staff in the Renal Dialysis Program are now keen to find ways to promote physical activity and muscle strength and conditioning.”

On Thursday, June 21, all hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis patients, the Cross Canada Challenge participants and spouses will meet at the YMCA to hear about new ways to improve muscle strength and to celebrate the success with the walking program.

The YMCA’s Manager of Health, Fitness and Recreation, Tania Hazlett will provide an educational session titled Flexing those “renal” muscles.

*************************