ABSTRACT
Older coronary patients are characterized by high rates of disability but are quite heterogeneous in overall physical functioning and disease severity. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) training programs have been demonstrated to be safe and to improve aerobic fitness capacity, muscular strength, mental depression, and cardiac risk factors for older individuals. Additionally, CR increases survival in older coronary patients and may reverse and prevent cardiac disability. Yet, CR participation is quite low in the clinical setting due largely to low referral rates despite available third-party coverage. Expansion of CR to include hybrid programs that include a component of on-site/home rehabilitation supplemented by mobile technologies should lead to a broadening of benefits to an expanded population.
