Mended Heart Support Group

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

This organisation is composed of a very special group of people: heart patients, spouses, health professionals and other interested individuals.
The first “Mended Hearts” consisted of 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 a pioneer in heart surgeries in Northern Malaysia, the community of Penang Adventist Hospital realised that there were 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

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/ counselling on request by trained personnel.
Establish and maintain a programme of assistance to physicians, nurses, medical professionals and health care organisations in their work with patients and families.
Establish and assist in heart disease rehabilitation programmes for members and their families.
Cooperating with other organisations in education and research activities pertaining to heart disease.
Plan and conduct suitable programmes 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 – whether heart patients, family members, or medical and health professionals – can visit our centre. 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 additional strength the patients may need to overcome 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.

Advantages of Service

Getting advice and information from successful heart patients is quite different from hearing the same from cardiologists, surgeons or hospital counsellors. The real experiences 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 approximately 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 Mended Hearts members. And members of the public who do not come under the two categories can benefit from increased awareness through involvement with MHP.

How can you join?

All are welcome, as you will not only benefit as a member, but you can also make a difference in a patient’s 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 can you help?

Interested in helping Mended Hearts reach out to others? Whether 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, sponsorships, contributions, and tax-exempt gifts to Adventist Hospital Clinic Services (M) are important ways to provide assistance. 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 & Programmes

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

Support Group for Heart Patients and Family Members

Visitation by accredited members.
Rehabilitation exercise program for patients post-discharge.
Contacting postoperative or post-hyphenated patients via email or telephone.
Quarterly gatherings of the support group.
Diversion of questionnaires, worries or doubts to trained professionals (e.g., cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, cardiac nurses)

One-Stop Resource Centre on Heart-Related Matters

Brochures and pamphlets are available for members and related PAH staff who are trained to provide the service.
Educational programmes – quarterly public health talks.
E-newsletters – regular newsletters published annually.

Social Programmes

Cardiac Rehab Support Group Annual Gathering
World Heart Day Celebration

Education & Information

Patients, spouses, family members, friends, medical professionals, and Mended Hearts bring together all of us who face the realities of heart disease to form a network of caring individuals.

Seeing the need for Malaysian patients to have customised and validated information on lifestyle diseases, Pfizer Malaysia, with the endorsement of the 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