The equipment and financial resources

Pulmonary rehabilitation equipment and facilities can vary enormously from one place to the next. It is pointless to spend exorbitant sums of money for state of the art equipment. One can achieve the primary goals of this program with very limited resources: a hallway to walk in, a gym mat, free weights, etc. First and foremost, one has to be motivated!

The first thing to find: a facility that will be suitable for the activities being offered. It could be a physiotherapy room, a gymnasium, a room in a community centre, a classroom; ideally, with a locker room and a bathroom in the vicinity.

When choosing a facility, plan for:

• A budget for the upkeep of the facility - a well-kept, clean and organized space will help foster a sense of commitment for the patient, as well as contribute to their satisfaction and safety. The room that is used must be free of any kind of chemical odours from cleaning products, paint, perfume or markers. The temperature, rate of humidity and ventilation must also be suitable.
• Accessible parking should be available and, ideally, not too expensive.
• Toilets with access for people with reduced mobility should exist in the vicinity.

List of equipment

As indicated above, a program can be launched with a minimum amount of equipment, but for illustrative purposes, here is a list of equipment that could be useful in a rehabilitation room.

For a home program:

At home, one can use one's imagination to limit the patient's need to purchase equipment. Walking, climbing stairs and using a stationary bicycle are excellent cardiovascular exercises, but there are many others.

Don't forget to tailor the patient's activities to the particular season of the year. For example, during major cold spells or smog alerts, walking could be done in a shopping centre. In addition, a pedometer is recommended as a motivational and self-assessment tool.

It's difficult to put a figure on an operating budget due to the considerable differences that could exist between one program and another, one location and another. In a survey of institutions, they mentioned various amounts ranging from $5,000 to several million. Also, it's important to stress that programs that are entirely financed by the public purse in the Province of Quebec are very rare. For those that are, it's difficult to know whether the budget will be renewed from year to year.

For these reasons, it is important to:

• Carefully define the budgets necessary (human resources, facilities, work instruments, etc.)
• Secure the budgets and make them recurrent from one year to the next

Let's bear in mind: the material organization of a rehabilitation program is not a key condition that will guarantee its success. A program can be set up with a very limited team and a minimum amount of equipment.

Other possible sources of funding:

• Private funds (e.g.: respiratory equipment companies)
• Pharmaceutical partnerships
• Grants from local and community initiatives
• Hospital foundations
• Patients