Description
The Lazarus House was created out of a visible need for a growing population. As medical advances continue, many diseases that were once fatal are becoming manageable. Chronic illnesses are becoming common, like adult onset diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disease. Chronic Care in America: a 21st Century Challenge, a study of Robert WoodJohnson Foundation, states 1 out of 3 Americans has a chronic condition. The study also states that 60% of these individuals are between the ages of 18 and 64 years old. People who are diagnosed with chronic illness must learn new life skills to maintain function, energy, a sense of wellbeing and good quality of life. The Lazarus House teaches these skills.
The Lazarus House offers an unique approach to chronic illness and disease related muscle loss. One other nonprofit group inHarrisCountyprovides exercise services for HIV related wasting. However, they serve a limited number of clients who must qualify by quantifying a predetermined degree of cachexia. By comparison, Lazarus House does not restrict qualification to the program by degrees of muscle wasting. Lazarus House is the only nonprofit facility inHoustonto combat cachexia at any stage, demonstrating our advocacy of a proactive program.
Committed to its mission, The Lazarus House is dedicated to decreasing and limiting the cachectic affects of disease processes including spinal trauma, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, cancers, muscular dystrophy and other wasting disease conditions through low cost services of wellness, nutrition, and spiritual and mental health in a non-clinical environment. An integral part of the Wellness Program is the comfortable, non-threatening environment where clients can exercise without anxieties associated with disease related wasting and exercising in a public setting.
The Wellness Program is a vital 12 week tool for individuals suffering from disease or condition related muscle loss. It is a complete service of wellness that addresses the deficits associated with cachexia. Clients begin the program by being qualified and released by their physician. The client’s physician is encouraged to provide recommendations and restrictions to support the client’s program. After qualifying, clients participate in flexibility, muscular strength and endurance tests. Physical measurements are documented to form a baseline. Progressive measurements are taken again at 6 week intervals to document physical growth and improvement.
Clients then attend 3 sessions weekly, each approximately one hour in duration. The sessions are administered by a professional staff that includes certified and/or degreed personal trainers, a rehabilitative specialist, and two nurses. Programs of wellness include progressive resistance exercise to address disease related muscle loss, aerobic exercise to increase endurance and improve function of the cardiopulmonary system, and nutritional counseling to ensure optimal energy gains.
