Life Changes in an Instant: Coming Back from a Work Injury or Illness

Case Management Focus

As a nurse case manager, you know that life can change instantly. When an injury occurs, the injured worker, the family, the employer, the employees, and the community are all impacted. People often need help returning to society and work after an injury or illness. This is true in catastrophic conditions such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations, and other complex conditions that change their lives in an instant. An injury or illness may be temporary or permanent. Regardless of the type of injury you have, realizing you are not immortal impacts a person’s life and needs to be part of the plan of care to help the person learn that their abilities are more significant than their disabilities.   

In this post, I wanted to share how worker-compensation case managers can help injured workers rebuild their lives. Having a plan and resources to help people rebuild their lives is important as it helps to show the injured worker, their families, and the employer/employees that they can rebuild their lives. With help, many people can return to gainful employment and the activities they love. Their life may not be the same as it was pre-injury, but with resources and support, people can go on to live productive lives.  

Nurse Case Managers work with the treatment team to ensure patients have the medical care they need to heal. This could take time, including inpatient hospital stays, inpatient rehabilitation programs, and transitional care facilities, to help them learn how to reintegrate into society. Today, with the length of stays being shorter and shorter, case managers have to be involved sooner and be more resourceful.  

Transitioning the patient to the next level of care is essential. Getting the patient out of acute care and into inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation should be done as soon as possible. Many hospitals have contracts with rehabilitation hospitals where patients can go once medically stable to start the rehab process. This helps the patient and the family understand where they are and what limitations they are going to have on a temporary or permanent basis, depending on the circumstances.  

Setting up a program to meet the patient's needs is essential for injured workers with conditions that do not require inpatient hospitalization or rehabilitation. As the length of stays is shorter even for outpatient programs, the injured workers need to know they need to exercise independently – not only when they are in rehab. Nurse case managers can encourage the families to participate in the rehabilitation program to see how the exercises are done and support the injured workers to keep pushing beyond what they think they can do. They can also report problems the injured worker might have that they forgot to mention to the team or the treating physicians. Keeping therapists and treating physicians up to date is essential to address barriers promptly.  

Helping the injured worker take ownership of their therapy and celebrating their progress as part of the team is essential. Little gains may not seem like a lot, but they are the stepping stones to recovery.  

The nurse case manager should work with the therapists and the treating physicians to discuss return to work on every occasion. Employers should be included so the team has the most up-to-date job description and understands how the job works. The more information employers and co-workers can supply, the better picture the team has in helping the injured worker return to work with or without job accommodation to ensure the work setting is safe for the injured worker.  

For those patients who have permanent injuries that will never allow them to return to work, the nurse case manager and the team have a responsibility to help patients reintegrate into their communities. We must help the patient and the familiy know they and their loved ones can have and enjoy that life. 

Investigating community programs, support groups, and recreational therapy programs to help injured workers become engaged in community re-entry is essential. How can a person who is a quadriplegic go on vacation, how can an amputee re-learn how to play a sport, or how can a patient with traumatic brain injury go to a store by taking public transportation or ride shares because they can no longer drive? Education and supportive resources are the key to rebuilding a productive life. 

Finding support groups in your communities who work with people with disabilities and focus on abilities vs disabilities is essential for the injured worker, their families, and the community as a whole. Here are some resources you might want to check out:  

STRIVE Recreational Therapy: Strive Recreational Therapy Services is committed to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with varying disabilities and age groups. Strive provides groups and individuals with recreational therapy opportunities within their community and serves those injured in auto accidents, those injured in a work-related accident, seniors, and anyone with a disability. Our services also greatly benefit the geriatric population, students requiring Individualized Education Plans, wounded veterans, and organizations and businesses looking to increase their services for those with disabilities. Strive helps bridge the gap between what is learned in the hospital setting and the client's home and community. To learn more, visit their website: https://striverts.com.   

AMPOWER® is a peer-to-peer support program for people with limb loss or limb difference. The mission of AMMPOWER is to empower and strengthen those affected by amputation or limb differences through peer mentorship, education, and community. It consists of a nationwide network of trained peer mentors who have successfully recovered and rehabilitated following amputation and want to share their personal experiences with you. To learn more, visit https://hangerclinic.com/patients/emotional-support. 

Abilities Expos: The Abilities Expos are the top seed in the World Cup of celebrating Abilities. 

They are your connection to new tools and opportunities to enrich the injured person’s life. To find an expo coming to your area, visit https://www.abilities.com/#nextshows  

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you will share some of the things you have done to help the injured workers you work with take control of their lives after a workers' compensation injury or illness. Email me with your outcomes, and I will post them in a future article.  

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