Return to work is a key rehabilitation goal for people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) because employment matters to individuals and societies. However, people recovering from CVD often struggle ...with returning to work and maintaining employment. To identify people in need of vocational counselling, we examined the probability of feeling under pressure to return to work following CVD.
We conducted a combined survey- and register-based study in a randomly selected, population-based cohort of 10,000 people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, heart failure, heart valve disease, or ischaemic heart disease in 2018. The questionnaire covered return-to-work items, and we reported the probabilities of feeling under pressure to return to work with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in categories defined by sex, age, and CVD diagnosis.
The survey response rate was 51.1%. In this study, we included 842 respondents (79.7% men) aged 32-85 years, who had returned to work following a sick leave. Overall, 249 (29.7%) had felt pressure to return to work. The probability of feeling under pressure to return to work ranged from 18.3% (95% CI: 13.1-24.6) among men aged > 55 years with atrial fibrillation to 51.7% (95% CI: 32.5-70.6) among women aged ≤ 55 years with atrial fibrillation. In addition, 66.0% of all respondents had not been offered vocational rehabilitation, and 48.6% of those who reported a need for vocational counselling had unmet needs. Survey responses also indicated that many respondents had returned to work before feeling mentally and physically ready.
A substantial proportion of people with cardiovascular disease feel under pressure to return to work, and this pressure is associated with age, sex, and diagnosis. The results show that vocational rehabilitation must be improved and emphasize the importance of ensuring that cardiac rehabilitation programmes include all core rehabilitation components.
The aim of this article is to examine the opportunities for employees with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), arising from digital technology (DT) development. The author discusses assistive ...technology (AT) as a mean of creating a better work environment, making the digitized workplace more friendly for people with ASD. A possible solution of communication problems is replacing the interpersonal communication between employees with electronic (non-direct) forms of communication, such as online communicators or chatbots. Another solution is the implementation of wearable electronic systems, monitoring stress levels and facilitating effective stress control. In the future, the whole digitized workplace could be designed according to a “smart workplace” concept. Sensors recording various human body parameters could be connected to a network with sensors recording physical parameters of the work environment (temperature, humidity, noise, smell, sunlight exposure) and also with controllers of its values, adjusting it dynamically to reduce distracting factors. As a result, communication, stress management, and sensory sensitiveness problems could be limited, improving the work comfort of people with ASD, and their colleagues. The pertinence of solutions proposed was also confirmed by the experts interviewed in the field who were asked to assess it in the context of future implementation.
People with inflammatory arthritis often experience challenges at work and balancing paid work and energy in everyday life. Low work ability is common, and people with inflammatory arthritis face ...high risks of losing their jobs and permanent exclusion from the labour market. Context-specific tailored rehabilitation targeting persons with inflammatory arthritis is limited. The aim of this study is to describe the development of WORK-ON - a vocational rehabilitation for people with inflammatory arthritis.
Following the Medical Research Council's framework for complex interventions, WORK-ON was developed based on existing evidence, interviews with patients and rehabilitation clinicians, a workshop, and an iterative process.
The six-month vocational rehabilitation, WORK-ON, consists of 1) an initial assessment and goal setting by an occupational therapist experienced in rheumatology rehabilitation, 2) coordination by the same occupational therapist and individual support, including navigating across the primary and secondary health sectors, as well as social care, 3) group sessions for peer support, and 4) optionally individually tailored consultations with physiotherapists, nurses, or social workers.
WORK-ON is ready to be tested in a feasibility study.
The Regional Committees on Health Ethics for Southern Denmark stated that no formal ethical approval was necessary in this study (20,192,000-105).
This is a qualitative descriptive study of professionals’ perceptions of facilitators and barriers for returning to work for women on long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain and/or common ...mental disorder who participated in a vocational rehabilitation project. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 purposefully selected professionals from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service, the health care services, and the municipal services. The interviews were analyzed with a manifest content analysis. The main facilitators were the close cooperation between the professionals and the individual support that was offered to the project participants. The main barriers were differences among the stakeholders’ missions and goals, limitations in project duration and within the labor market, and the project participants’ personal factors. These results emphasize the importance of cooperation between the various stakeholder professionals and a focus on the individual’s resources and needs. The study highlights the value of including health care professionals in vocational rehabilitation to benefit from their specific knowledge of the target group and that group’s strengths and needs. Moreover, the study highlights the need to incorporate collaboration with employers and align with the local labor market in the development of vocational rehabilitation interventions.
Career Experiences of Ex-Cult Members Wilkins, Melissa Jones; Owen, Tanya Rutherford
The Journal of rehabilitation,
01/2023, Letnik:
89, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
With over 2.5 million people involved in cults in the United States, some ex-cult members may present for mental health or vocational counseling services upon leaving a cult. For ex-cult members who ...have participated in rehabilitation services, some report that their counselors were ill-prepared to understand their unique circumstances. Cults are a worldwide phenomenon that impact the lives of thousands of men, women, and children. Often, the effects of cult membership negatively impact the psychological, financial, educational, and familial aspects of the member's life. However, research about the post-cult experiences for former members is sparse. Specifically, how cult membership impacts one's career has been very limited to a handful of studies in the past few decades. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of cult involvement on future employment for ex-cult members. Former members of four cults were interviewed to identify the unique essence of the career experiences of individuals who obtain employment after leaving a cult. As a result of the interviews, seven essential themes were identified including hiding the past, fear, application difficulties, difficulty obtaining employment, inability to maintain employment, talking it out, and symptoms of psychiatric disabilities. Additional research sub-questions were explored that identified opportunities for counselors and rehabilitation counselors to intervene to improve the lives of ex-members of cults.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA; 2014) has changed the landscape of vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency services for transition-age youth. Less discussed, however, is how ...WIOA-driven amendments to the Rehabilitation Act and related regulations (see 45 CFR § 1329.4) have also changed how Centers for Independent Living (CILs) support young people with disabilities. The nature of youth transition services being provided by CILs and the scope of their collaboration with schools to deliver these services is an important yet under-explored aspect of modern secondary transition practice (Plotner et al., 2017a; Plotner et al., 2017b; Plotner & Walters, 2022; Wehmeyer & Gragoudas, 2004). The purpose of this brief is to provide school-based transition professionals with foundational knowledge on CILs and their potential involvement in secondary transition. To achieve this aim, this brief will provide an in-depth exploration of the Conceptual Framework for CIL and School Transition Service Delivery.
Promoting the use of the evidence-based Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) in Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) planning in the state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and similar service-delivery ...systems emphasizes client autonomy, peer support, strategies to maintain wellness, and may uncover previously unidentified supports that will lead to greater self-perceived recovery and more successful employment outcomes for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. A structured analysis of the WRAP was conducted in light of state VR IPE federal regulations that link client-centered employment strategies with employment outcomes for this population. Recommendations for state VR service-delivery system policies are discussed.
Employment is good for physical and mental health, however people with severe mental illness (SMI) are often excluded from employment. Standard Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is effective in ...supporting around 55% of people with SMI into employment or education. Current research considers enhancements to IPS to improve outcomes for those requiring more complex interventions. Clinicians need to better understand who will benefit from these enhanced IPS interventions. This study offers a new enhanced IPS intervention and an approach to predicting who may achieve successful outcomes.
This prospective cohort study included people with SMI who participated in an enhanced IPS service and had prolonged absence from employment. Secondary data analysis was conducted of data gathered in routine clinical practice. Univariate analysis coupled with previous research and clinical consultation was used to select variables to be included in the initial model, followed by a backward stepwise approach to model building for the final multiple logistic regression model with an outcome of successful or unsuccessful goal attainment (employment or education).
Sixty-three percent of participants in the enhanced IPS successfully attained employment or education. Significant relationships from bivariate analyses were identified between outcomes (employment or education) and seven psychosocial variables. Adapting Routines to Minimise Difficulties, Work Related Goals, and Living in an Area of Lesser Deprivation were found to be significant in predicting employment or education in the final multiple logistic regression model R
= 0.16 (Hosmer-Lemeshow), 0.19 (Cox-Snell), 0.26 (Nagelkerke). Model χ
(7) = 41.38 p < .001.
An enhanced IPS service had a 63% rate success in achieving employment or education, higher than comparable studies and provides an alternative to IPS-Lite and IPS-standard for more complex populations. Motivational and habitual psychosocial variables are helpful in predicting who may benefit from an enhanced IPS intervention supporting people after prolonged absence from employment.
NCT04083404 Registered 05 September 2019 (retrospectively registered).
Vocational rehabilitation is important for supporting long-term sick-listed employees in returning to work or continuing in working life.
The aim of this study was to analyse self-confidence and hope ...for the future among people on sick leave in Norway who joined a self-help group, with a special focus on the importance of educational level.
109 persons who completed a 20-week program at a rehabilitation centre in the middle of Norway during the years 2007-2012 answered questions related to the importance of emotions as either motivating or discouraging forces influencing the individual's return to work. The response rate was 52 percent.
Eighty-five percent of participants who joined a self-help group stated that the group helped them to tackle everyday life better than before. Low-educated participants in the self-help group, to a greater extent than high-educated, stated that the self-help group had increased their self-confidence and hope for the future.
Most of those who participated in the self-help group stated that joining a group increased their self-confidence and hope for the future. Motivational factors, such as hope for the future and self-confidence, can be important factors in the rehabilitation process, as they can enhance sick people's motivation to participate in rehabilitation and re-think their future prospects of returning to work.
The Hearing Voices Network (HVN) is an influential service-user led organisation that promotes self-help as an important aspect of recovery. This study presents the first systematic assessment of the ...impact and effectiveness of HVN self-help groups. A customized 45-item questionnaire, the Hearing Voices Groups Survey, was sent to 62 groups affiliated with the English HVN. 101 responses were received. Group attendance was credited with a range of positive emotional, social and clinical outcomes. Aspects that were particularly valued included: opportunities to meet other voice hearers, provision of support that was unavailable elsewhere, and the group being a safe and confidential place to discuss difficult issues. Participants perceived HVN groups to facilitate recovery processes and to be an important resource for helping them cope with their experiences. Mental health professionals can use their expertise to support the successful running of these groups.
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