1795 Henderson Hwy, P.O. Box 28060, RPO North Kildonan, Winnipeg, MB
Phone: (204) 478-6644 | Fax: (204) 478-6677 | info@indep.ca

Archive for the ‘Services’ Category

The Importance Of Ergonomics In The Workplace

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White computer mouse and hand on whiteNot every job in the world requires laborious use of the hands. Not every job entails a great deal of heavy lifting, lugging and carrying. But that doesn’t mean that jobs void of these tiring tasks aren’t hard on the body. Office workers experience their fair share of job-related injuries as well. You may be surprised just how taxing it can be on the body to sit at a desk in front of a computer all day long.

This is why ergonomics is so vital to any working environment. Ergonomics, which is the study of people’s efficiency in the workplace, is an important element when considering the health and safety of people at work. And, as Cynthia Roth points out on EHSToday.com, office environments are known for their ergonomic-related injuries and illnesses. Believe it or not, typing isn’t exactly the safest job-related task in the world!

“If an employee is able to type 40 words per minute, he or she presses 12,000 keys per 8-hour day,” she explains, “Approximately 8 ounces of force is necessary to depress one key. Almost 16 tons of force will be exercised by his or her fingers each day. The fingers of typists whose speed is 60 words per minute exert up to 25 tons of pressure each day.” So what does all of this mean? How does the pressure exerted by typists affect their health?

According to Roth, back pain is considered the most common side effect of daily sitting and typing. But studies have shown that “the office workplace has other musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tenosynovitis and myositis.” She writes that “more than 8 million people are affected by carpal tunnel syndrome each year. Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome is the second-most common type of musculoskeletal surgery.”

A focus on ergonomics can help present better working conditions in an effort to avoid such physical hardships. Roth notes that it’s important to reduce the physical demands of jobs by decreasing levels of force, repetition and awkward postures. “Job descriptions are necessary to understand how tasks impact the worker: which body part is used, whether right or left side, cycle times, weights, reaches, etc.” she writes.

The benefits to implementing strong workplace ergonomics are many. On Ergo-Plus.com, Mark Middlesworth explains that ergonomics can help to reduce costs, improve productivity and boost the quality of the work being done. “Poor ergonomics leads to frustrated and fatigued workers that don’t do their best work,” he writes, “When the job task is too physically taxing on the worker, they may not perform their job like they were trained.”

A focus on ergonomics in the workplace is also excellent for employee morale. It should go without saying that it’s important to have a staff made up for happy and enthusiastic people. It’s good for any company’s bottom line. “If an employee does not experience fatigue and discomfort during their workday, it can reduce turnover, decrease absenteeism, improve morale and increase employee involvement,” says Middlesworth.

At Independence Incorporated, we offer Ergonomic Assessments that carefully consider the relationships between workers and their work environments. Our assessments involve the creation of matches between employees and their activities, equipment and systems to maximize both productivity and health-focused circumstances. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call Independence Incorporated at 204-478-6644 or email info@indep.ca.

Revisiting The Importance Of Rehabilitation

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Doctor checking a knee recovering in hospitalRecovering from a serious injury or an illness can be one of the toughest things a person will ever do. It doesn’t just require treatment that will help bring about a return to better physical health. It also requires a lot of emotional support to get through what is often a long and arduous struggle. Needless to say, rehabilitation is so very important. And as Dr. Richard C. Senelick states on WebMD.com, most of us never think we’ll ever need it.

“Rehabilitation is the key to getting back to functioning at a level where you can live at home, enjoy your family, and hopefully work,” writes Dr. Senelick. He goes on to acknowledge the difficulties that come with the entire rehabilitation process. Again, keeping in mind that there are both physical and emotional limitations during the recovery process, it’s important to help those in recovery meet with positive mindsets.

“Going for therapy and rehabilitation is just like going back to school, because you may have to learn new information,” says Dr. Senelick, “If you were going back to school later in life, you may have to ‘relearn’ information that you had previously acquired…Rarely is it easy, and I always told patients and families that it will be the hardest thing they will ever do. Like school or learning a new skill there are certain principles that make a difference.”

So what are the new skills that need to be learned? Well, to properly answer that question, we need to take a look at the type of rehabilitation that an individual is undertaking. On HubPages.com, it is explained that many patients who have been diagnosed with diseases must learn to live with particular physical limitations – especially if they are planning a return to work. Lung and heart problems, spinal disorders and cancer are listed as examples.

“When a person undergoes rehabilitation after a disease, experts examine the patient by treating symptoms, addressing risk factors, providing counseling or family support and restoring the physical fitness,” says the website. Patients who have gone through injuries may also have physical limitations, but of a different nature. They must learn particular exercises in order to regain muscles that were lost, for example.

“If a person has gone through injuries from sports, accidents or other reasons, rehabilitation can help in improving functionality of movements and maximizing one’s health,” says HubPages.com, “Through this kind of rehabilitation, not only is the physical aspects covered, but also the mental, psychological and sociological aspects in achieving full recovery.” Naturally, there are emotional aspects to address in both types of rehabilitation.

This is because motivation matters. The more motivated a patient is to regain his or her full health, the better that person will be able to succeed in making a complete recovery. “The person who is motivated and tries harder has a better chance of getting better,” insists Dr. Senelick, “It is not always the brightest student who is the most successful: hard work can make a huge difference.”

At Independence Incorporated, we offer Rehab Coordination which involves case management support that assists patients with numerous injury or illness claims. We are highly experienced in the coordination requirements for clients with singular soft tissue injuries to complex, multi-traumatic injuries as well as multi-systems illness involvement. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call Independence Incorporated at 204-478-6644 or email info@indep.ca.

Describing The Importance Of Independence

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I'm free! senior man get up from wheelchair and throw away his walking caneThere’s a reason that our company is named Independence Incorporated. It wasn’t a name that we just settled on because we thought it sounded “official” or “prestigious”. And it also wasn’t a decision we fell upon because of its cool use of alliteration. At Independence Incorporated, we are firm believers in everyone’s right to be independent. And being united in this belief is what really helps to make our company name so apt.

Take a look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of “Independence”: “Not dependent: as 1) : not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent (2) : not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood)”. Now take a look at Merriam-Webster’s definition of “Incorporate”: “To unite or work into something already existent so as to form an indistinguishable whole: to blend or combine thoroughly: to give material form; to embody.”

The way we see it, our work incorporates the appropriate programs and services that promote statuses of independence among the clients that we serve. Our company’s specialty is vocational rehabilitation. We provide a long list of helpful services that focus on enhancing the overall independence of our clients at both their homes and workplaces. In many cases, we assist those with making transitions from states of illness or injury to comfortable returns to the workforce.

As a result, disability management is a major component to the help that we provide. At Independence Incorporated, we are committed to fully implementing the human approach to all that we do. And that’s because we’re focused on helping people. There is an emotional side to rehabilitation that is as important – sometimes more so – than the physical rehabilitation that often requires assistance.

We are also sensitive to the fact that many of our clients are faced with limited financial resources. Again, considering the emotional side of every client’s situation allows us to manage rehabilitation in ways that are uniquely considerate. We’re happy to report that our services benefit a wide range of people. They include clients, referral sources, family physicians and treatment providers.

Clients. Naturally, our clients are very important to us. We understand that during their time periods of illness or injury, it is imperative that they focus on improving their health. At Independence Incorporated, we make it our duty to assist with this process in the most helpful and attentive manners possible. Our clients greatly benefit from the individualized attention that they each receive.

Referral Sources. We also service insurance companies and employers. Naturally, they each have obligations that they are contractually liable for. Under their contractual agreements, they are required to provide medical and vocational rehabilitation services to their policy holders and employees during their times of need. Our involvement allows for appropriate services to be offered in order to enhance recovery rates and maximize states of independence.

Family Physicians and Treatment Providers. We also must ensure that we are openly communicating with the family physicians and treatment providers that are involved with our clients. With the permission of our clients, we provide progress reports to their doctors and other health care professionals who are involved in the rehabilitation processes. It’s all about promoting their independence together!

For more information about our company, please don’t hesitate to call Independence Incorporated at 204-478-6644 or email info@indep.ca.