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Discussing Our “Discharge Planning” Services

Posted October 1, 2014 by Victor Andres

Doctor Nurse & Patient Being able to exude a sense of confidence has a lot to do with being prepared. Quite often, we get nervous when we’re meeting someone new as we may not be sure what to say. Stage fright is a common occurrence when you’re required to speak in front of a large audience. And, of course, beginning a new job always comes with its elements of anxiety. However, returning to a state of normalcy in one’s life can be especially concerning after a long stay in the hospital.

At Independence Incorporated, we are committed to ensuring that people making the transition from the hospital to the community are always prepared. Getting people prepared, by the way, means giving them the confidence that they are completely capable of handling the everyday tasks that come with their regular lives, let alone their job positions. It also entails being in the right emotional state.

Needless to say, it can be a bit nerve-wracking to return to what may have become unfamiliar territory. This is why Independence Incorporated offers Discharge Planning services. We make it our mission to ensure that people who are leaving the hospital following their fight with an illness or injury are able to do so comfortably. Through our Discharge Planning services, our staff is able to assist in a number of ways.

In-hospital personal care needs. Of course, the road to recovery begins in the hospital. So before a person is discharged, our staff looks into whether or not certain support services are required for our clients during their hospital stays. As well, we determine if patients require devices that will help for their daily lives to be easier. Again, it’s all about making the transition from the hospital to regular life a lot more comfortable.

Home assessments. What will it be like for patients to leave the hospital and return home? Will they require additional assistance to get around their homes? Do their homes need to be wheelchair accessible or will other amendments to the living areas need to be made to make their day-to-day lives more manageable? These are some of the questions that we answer when doing our home assessments for clients.

Rehabilitation services. Our staff is well trained in making the best possible recommendations for our clients. Before returning to the community, we take a look at the various programs that can be put in place to help them get back to optimum health. Naturally, all of this will have to be done before they can safely return to work as well. At Independence Incorporated, we believe in adequate preparation for each transition.

We know that discharged patients have a lot of questions. They want to know their options once they’ve left the hospital. For example, who may be available to provide home health care? What can they do to help themselves get better? What problems should they watch for? Who can they contact if they have any questions? Not to mention, when a patient is discharged, he or she may still need assistance with everyday tasks.

Who is going to help with bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, climbing stairs, cooking, food shopping, house cleaning, paying the bills and getting to doctors’ appointments? This is especially concerning if there are no caregivers available in one’s family. Answering these and other questions is actually a big part of the recovery process. For more information about our “Discharge Planning” services, please feel free to call us at 204-478-6644.

Analyzing Our “Job Demands Analysis” Service

Posted August 5, 2014 by Victor Andres

Portrait of a happy female employee carrying laundry basket A job well done – this is essentially the primary goal of just about every employee in the work force. No matter the industry or type of business, employees are called upon to put forth their best efforts in order to complete tasks with the utmost efficiency. For the most part, workers wish to perform admirably at all times. But, it certainly helps when they are given the appropriate means to complete their jobs to their best abilities.

This is especially important for people who are returning to work after a long absence. When someone has been recuperating from an illness or an injury, it stands to reason that the demands of his or her job are far from being prioritized at the time. Once the recuperation is complete, however, individuals need appropriate time and training to get re-assimilated with their duties. At Independence Incorporated, we offer a service that takes this into account.

It’s known as Job Demands Analysis or JDA, for short. And, as part of this service, we analyze a number job components that are essential to the safe and effective returning to work of employees. Just as importantly, these components are reviewed so that employees can return to work as productive individuals who are given fair opportunities to put forth the necessary efforts that allow them to achieve great successes. Here are few of things we look at.

Physical components. Some jobs require physical labour, and as a result, it can be quite strenuous on individuals who haven’t performed certain tasks for a long time. We analyze such tasks as lifting, lowering, carrying and pushing. We also take a look at the pulling efforts that may affect posture, mobility requirements, aerobic efforts, repetitive motion efforts, shift exposures (frequency and duration), critical tasks and ergonomic concerns.

Environmental components. What is the environment of the work area that employees are returning to? Is it a high-stress environment that involves a lot of noise-inducing hustle and bustle, or is it a fairly quiet workspace? Is it a well-lit open space or is it a somewhat dim, tightly-squeezed corner of an office? Is it air conditioned or hot and stuffy? We analyze such conditions of any given workspace to make sure that it is conducive to safe and productive work.

Sensory components. What senses are workers using the most for their jobs? As you can imagine, someone who works with computers may experience strain on their eyes by viewing a screen all day. Depending on one’s physical condition, this may cause unnecessary harm. On the other hand, a loud environment can also create issues for certain individuals. Ensuring that workspaces are kind on the senses is key.

At Independence Incorporated, we feel that our Job Demands Analysis service is extremely helpful to both businesses and their employees for a number of reasons. Firstly, it assists with a clear communication of responsibilities on the part of both parties. Outlining standard operating procedures is important so that no employee returns to work unclear of what is expected. Accurate job descriptions are encouraged so that all tasks are clearly defined.

As well, we identify high-risk tasks so that we can foresee any potential difficulties by way of ergonomic problems. We ensure that proper training is implemented so that all requirements of the job can be completely effectively. The JDA also helps to develop specific rehabilitation and return to work processes, define work schedules and educate new hires. For more information about our “Job Demands Analysis”, please feel free to call us at 204-478-6644.

Outlining The Benefits Of Our “Return To Work Program”

Posted June 10, 2014 by Victor Andres

Business woman standing with her staff in background Everyone enjoys getting a day off work now and again. A long weekend, a statutory holiday and whenever necessary taking a personal day are all occasions that most workers thoroughly enjoy. It never hurts to get an extra day in there to relax, recharge and rejuvenate yourself for work. But you never want to actually get hurt in order to be able to take those days off! It should go without saying that we all wish to avoid illness and injury at all costs.

Sadly, this isn’t something that we can guarantee ourselves. So when an incident occurs that forces people to miss lengthy periods of time from their jobs, it’s important for them to get the appropriate support they need in order to return to work. It’s not just about returning to work though. Of course, it’s important for employers to have their staff members healthy in order to advance their company’s productivity levels.

But optimizing a person’s health is necessary for the benefit of all those involved – the employer, his or her insurance company, and most importantly the employee. Rushing an employee back to the job before he or she is ready benefits no one. Consider the fact that even when a worker is ready to work again, it will take some time for that person to ease back into the regular flow of things on the job.

This is why Independence Incorporated has a very comprehensive “Return To Work Program”. This very important service ensures that all of the issues related to an employee’s return to work are managed so that the transition is both a comfortable and appropriate one. Again, it’s integral that, for everyone’s sake, a worker is fully capable of the tasks given to him or her when arriving back on the job. Our program, therefore, involves a number of steps.

Clarification of any work related restrictions and/or accommodation requirements. In some cases, employees are healthy enough to return back to work but may not be able to completely manage all of the assignments that they used to be capable of taking on. We ensure that both employee and employee are fully aware of the limitations that may exist and work to put in place the necessary means of assistance to help the worker complete his or her assigned tasks.

Identification of available return to work options (same, modified or alternate work). Keeping in mind that an employee may be able to return to work in a limited capacity, we make it our job to ensure that there is clarification about how much the employee is able to contribute. In some instances, employees able to perform the same functions previous to their illness or injury. And in others, they require modified assignments or different tasks altogether.

Development, implementation and monitoring of graduated return to work plan. It’s always important to measure one’s ability to be productive on the job when he or she returns to it. A lot goes into one’s rehabilitation before he or she returns to work, but we remain mindful that the rehabilitation process continues once a person is back on the job. Is he or she easing back into a routine easily? Or is additional assistance required to make for an easier transition?

At Independence Incorporated, we are committed to the process of ensuring that employees are ready to be back at work as fully capable, productive members of their staffs. One way that we accomplish this is by ensuring that there is open communication between family physicians, treatment providers, employees and their employers. For more information about our “Return To Work Program”, please feel free to call us at 204-478-6644.