Challenges of Returning to Work after a Traumatic Injury

Returning to work after a traumatic injury is a goal most individuals hold as a top priority after emerging from rehabilitation. There are many reasons returning to work is so important, with finances ranking as number one. Medical bills and household expenses accumulate and there is pressure to regain control. Self-respect, social interactions and a productive environment are also benefits of returning to work. An individual might define “self” by his or her careers and is now different since the traumatic injury. Returning to work can be a positive step toward recovery with support and appropriate accommodations.

The likelihood an individual will return to work after injury is measured by several factors[1].

• Individuals with more challenges in functioning will have a more difficulty in returning to work.
• Some individuals will return to the same job as before the injury and other individuals will need to find new jobs with the appropriate accommodations.
• Self-awareness and motivation play an important role in whether or not an individual will return to work. As the individual is defining her or his “new self” he or she often struggles with returning to a previous job or finding a new job.
• Active or inactive support network. It is critical for the individual’s treatment team to coordinate with an employer to help manage the individual’s unique needs. This continuity of care can determine success in the workplace.
• The lack of employment programs or the individual’s access to these programs can be a deterrent to returning to work. It is the job of the individual’s support network and treatment team to help advocate for the individual.

Following rehabilitation, and sometimes incorporated within residential post-acute rehabilitation programs, employment services offer vocational assessment, education, re-training, job coaching, job placement, and on-site supervision. Vocational programs are specialized, intensive day treatment programs that focus on decreasing barriers to employment. These barriers are cognitive, behavioral, emotional and psychosocial problems an individual recovering from a traumatic injury faces. Supported employment is another vocational model that can be helpful. These types of programs include training, counseling and support at the job site[2]. Each individual who has suffered a traumatic injury has a wide range of varying needs. A program that is person-centered and individualized is recommended[3].

The American with Disabilities Act is the federal law that protects individuals with disabilities. Becoming familiar with the rights afforded under this legislation can make an individual’s life easier when returning to work and integrating back into the community. Employers are legally bound to provide appropriate accommodations for employees with disabilities. This law allows anyone, regardless of disability, to be successful in a job. There are many accommodations that an employer is able to make to assist with physical limitations, visual problems, fatigue, maintaining concentration, difficulty staying organized, memory deficits, problem solving or difficulty handling stress and emotions.

With specialized rehabilitative support, returning to work is a goal that can be achievable for an individual who is recovering from a traumatic injury. Successfully returning to work helps provide a sense of pride, gives purpose to each day and increases the quality of life for each individual.

NeuLife’s philosophy is that healing, wellness and personal fulfillment are best accomplished in a positive and uplifting therapeutic environment where caring staff encourage, assist and support each client so he or she may achieve specific goals. NeuLife believes personal fulfillment is equally as important as goals to increase function and independence. NeuLife seeks to achieve, for all clients, maximized, sustained outcomes that exceed the expectations of all persons served.

NeuLife, in Mount Dora, Florida, is an accessible residential post-acute program providing superior care and specialized rehabilitation to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic amputations and other catastrophic injuries.

2725 Robie Avenue
Mount Dora, Florida 32757