Mended Heart Support Group

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Mended Hearts is a non-profit organization committed in helping heart disease patients and families or caregivers to deal with the emotional recovery from heart disease.

This organization is composed of a very special group of people: heart patients, spouses, health professionals and other interested individuals.
The first “Mended Hearts” were two men and two women recovering from heart surgery in 1950. They felt a need (as we do today) to help others facing the same heart-mending procedures and decided to form Mended Hearts in the United States of America in 1955.
Today, membership has grown to thousands and continues to grow each year with over 200 chapters across the United States and one chapter in Canada.

Being the pioneer to heart surgeries in Northern Malaysia, the community of Penang Adventist Hospital realised that there are no formal support groups for heart patients in Malaysia. With the acknowledgement and authorisation given by Mended Hearts Inc., we are proud to start a new chapter in Penang: Mended Hearts Penang.

Objectives

The Mended Hearts Penang offers help, support and encouragement to heart disease patients and their families through the following ways:

Distribute information of specific educational value to members of the support group, patients and their families.
Hospital visitation / counseling on request by trained personnel.
Establish and maintain a program of assistance to physicians, nurses, medical professionals and health care organizations in their work with patients and families.
Establish and assist heart disease rehabilitation programs for members and their families.
Cooperating with other organizations in education and research activities pertaining to heart disease.
Plan and conduct suitable programs of social and educational interest for members, patients and their families.

Concepts

Who can be helped?

Patients who have underlying cardiovascular problems and require treatment or surgery can benefit from Mended Hearts support.Heart treatments and surgeries are designed to improve quality of life; however, the healing of the physical and emotional aspects takes a longer time. It is normal for patients and families to be concerned and anxious or feel anger, frustration and depression during this adjustment period.

This is where Mended Hearts Penang is available to provide timely help.

How can we help?

Currently, you (heart patients or the family members, medical and health professionals) can visit our center. We carefully train members to visit recovering patients. It is often inspiring for the patients to see a healthy mended heart enter the hospital room. They provide the added strength the patient may need to overcome many doubts and fears. “Helping others” is what it is all about.

Peer Group Support Service

Objectives

As heart patients who have successfully undergone bypass surgery or angioplasty, our experiences may be helpful in reassuring and supporting patients who are about to undergo the same procedures. The same assistance can also be extended to patients’ family members.

Advantage of Service

Getting advice and information from successful heart patients is quite different from hearing the same from cardiologists, surgeon or hospital counselors. The real experience of Mended Hearts members should have a different degree of credibility.

Mechanics of the Service

Volunteers from among the Mended Hearts members and other successful heart patients will be sought.
A short training session will be provided by Adventist doctors and other staff.
The service will be disseminated to all heart patients before they undergo surgery or angioplasty. Patients will decide on their own if they wish to avail themselves of this service. They can also indicate their preferences like wanting a volunteer who is female or male, a particular religious faith etc.
Volunteers will make themselves available no more than once a week for about 2 hours.

Membership

Becoming a Member

Open to all who have experienced or recovered from heart mending procedures or treatment. Families of patients who wish to help others are also welcome to be a Mended Hearts members. And members of the public who do not come under the two categories can benefit from increased awareness throught involvement with MHP.

How you can join?

All are welcome, as you will not only benefit as a member, you can also make a difference in a patients’ recovery and outlook on life, as well as interact with other members through local chapter meetings, volunteering and special events.
Membership fees:
New – RM20.00
Renew – RM10.00

How you can help?

Interested in helping Mended Hearts to reach others? As a business, community organisation or individual, you can assist us in our objectives to offer hope and educate patients about cardiovascular health, empowering them as they manage a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Donations/Sponsorship or Contributions and tax-exempt gifts to the Adventist Hospital & Clinic Services (M) are two important ways to assist. We can also match you with volunteer opportunities in your community. Your time and financial assistance will make a difference in the lives of heart disease patients and their families, ensuring that Mended Hearts continues to extend encouragement and hope.

Activities & Program

As a member of Mended Hearts, you can begin reaching out to others or be benefited through our structured programs that consist of:

Support Group To Heart Patient And Family Members

Visitation by accredited members.
ehabilitation exercise program for patients post discharge.
Contacting postoperative or post hyphenated patient via email or telephone.
Quarterly gatherings of support group.
Diversion of questionnaires, worries or doubts to trained professional staffs (e.g.; cardiac surgeon, cardiologist, cardiac nurse)

One Stop Resource Center On Heart Related Matters

Brochures and pamphlets access for members, and related PAH staffs that are trained to provide the service.
Educational program – public health talk quarterly.
E-Newsletter – periodic newsletters per year

Social Program

Cardiac Rehab Support Group Annual Gathering
World Heart Day Celebration

Education & Information

Patients, spouses, family members, friends, medical professionals, Mended Hearts bring together all of us who are faced with the realities of heart diseases to form a network of caring individuals.

Seeing the need for Malaysian patients to have customized and validated information on lifestyle diseases, Pfizer Malaysia with the endorsement of Malaysian Society of Hypertension (MSH), National Heart Association of Malaysia (NHAM), Malaysian Dietitian Association (MDA) and National Stroke Association of Malaysia (NASAM) created the “Your Heart Matters” website. Click on the link to learn more and empower yourself with important information to improve your heart health.

Contact info

For enquiries, kindly contact us at:

Address

Mended Hearts Penang, Penang Adventist Hospital, 465 Burma Road, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.

Operation Hours

Monday - Thursday:
10:00am - 12:00pm