Motivation Often the Key for Successful Return to Work
Posted by Sandy Goldstein on Wed, Jan 19, 2011 @ 06:57 PM
I read an interesting posting recently on the Webility Disability Roundtable regarding human motivation and return to work. It was posted by a fellow Functional Capacity Evaluator out of Vancouver, BC named Brent Armstrong.
Brent had just completed a Functional Capacity Evaluation on an individual with a diagnosis of "low back strain". He had a difficult time getting this person motivated to complete the necessary testing let alone getting him interested in returning to his job or to life as a whole. Brent did his best to coach the evaluee to attend a local college to speak with a job counselor.
As Brent left the clinic to get a cup of coffee he saw a fellow with no arms or legs, sitting in a wheelchair and propelling himself along the sidewalk with two crutches that were strapped to his shoulder blades! He stopped to speak with him and asked where he was off to. The gentleman replied "to work".
The human spirit is truly amazing. The professional literature typically shows a weak relationship between impairment and disability. It's not what you have; it's how you deal with it which in turn is a result of a lot of factors.
That is why it is so important to have injured or ill employees assessed by qualified disability management specialists, occupational or physical therapists that specialize in dealing with the multidisciplinary aspects of stay-at-work and return-to-work. Often, impairments may seem limiting on the surface, but end up not posing any disruption to work function.
Sandy Goldstein & Associates are "Physical Abilities Measurement Experts" for individuals, attorneys, physicians, case managers, claims adjustors, employers or anyone else that is trying to measure an individual's ability to work. Physical abilities can and should be measured for Social Security Disability, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation and Vocational Case Management cases.