"Absolutely love the program! I'm much happier and healthier and it’s really helped with my fatigue.”
Tim, 21 year old with brain cancer
EX-MED Cancer Program
EX-MED Cancer is a best-practice exercise medicine program providing individualised exercise prescriptions to people with cancer.
EX-MED Cancer incorporates a coordinated pathway of care between cancer specialists, general practitioners and exercise physiologists within the treatment plan of people with cancer.
What Does
EX-MED Cancer Involve?
2.
EX-MED Cancer Hub
You’ll receive a phone call from the EX-MED Cancer Team who will provide information about the service and an EX-MED Cancer information pack. You’ll be registered for the next EX-MED Cancer term at a site most convenient to you and the site exercise physiologist notified of the enrolment. The EX-MED Cancer Hub is a central point of contact and information which patients and health professionals can access at any point throughout the program.
3.
Appointment with your General Practitioner
You’ll be asked to visit your General Practitioner (GP) to ensure you are well enough to exercise. The EX-MED Cancer information pack will contain a letter encouraging your GP to prepare a chronic disease management (CDM) plan. This CDM plan will allow you to access services provided by the exercise physiologist for free through a Medicare rebate.
4.
Initial appointment with an
EX-MED Cancer Exercise Physiologist
Your exercise physiologist will discuss your health status and do some simple physical assessments in order to individualise the exercise prescription to your specific needs. They will develop a personalised exercise prescription according to your type of cancer, treatment history, severity of any symptoms/side effects, as well as your general health history, physical abilities and personal preferences. The personalised exercise prescription will be designed in accordance with international guidelines for best practice exercise medicine.
5.
Individual exercise session with your EX-MED Cancer Exercise Physiologist
Your next appointment will be an instructional exercise session in which the exercise physiologist will teach you the exercises involved with your personalised exercise program. The session will help familiarise you with the facilities at the fitness centre and the process involved with attending
EX-MED Cancer exercise sessions.
6.
Group based exercise sessions for 3 months at an EX-MED Cancer location
You’ll attend 3 x 1 hour exercise sessions each week for 3 months (i.e. a total of 36 exercise sessions) in a group of 10 people with cancer at a EX-MED Cancer certified fitness centre. The exercise sessions will be supervised by your EX-MED Cancer Exercise Physiologist who’ll instruct you to complete your personalised exercise prescription.
7.
Final appointment with your
EX-MED Cancer Exercise Physiologist
Your exercise physiologist will re-assess your health status and provide feedback on your progress following the completion of the
EX-MED Cancer program. The exercise physiologist will re-evaluate your personalised exercise prescription in light of your progress and develop a plan for you to continue exercising. A variety of options and strategies to continue exercising will be discussed (e.g. supervision options, continued fitness centre membership, home based exercise, other programs and services available in the local community) and a written plan will be provided.
Who is
EX-MED Cancer for?
EX-MED Cancer is for all people with cancer.
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EX-MED Cancer has been specifically designed to cater for people who have been diagnosed with any type of cancer.
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People with cancer can participate in EX-MED Cancer at any time before, during or after treatment.
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Processes incorporated within the EX-MED Cancer program allow for people with cancer to receive a personalised exercise prescription based on their individual needs. These prescriptions are tailored to the type of cancer you’ve been diagnosed with, the treatments you’ve undergone and any side-effects you may be experiencing.
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You don’t have to have any prior experience with EX-MED Cancer as the program will be based on your current health status and is relative to you physical capability.
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Your program will be delivered by EX-MED Cancer exercise physiologists who have specialised expertise in cancer and are trained to provide you with an individualised program.
How much does it cost?
There is a fee involved with participating in EX-MED Cancer. As a not-for-profit organisation we ensure the fee is as low as possible to help all people with cancer access best-practice exercise medicine.
For more information regarding the fee, payment options and potential subsidies available please contact the EX-MED Cancer team
