Returning to Work

This young man had a brain injury when he was 19 and was working as an apprentice plumber. He had higher level executive cognitive problems including short term memory and concentration problems. We started working with him 20 months after the injury providing occupational therapy and case management.

What we did:

• Completed preliminary functional assessments to determine skills and difficulties in everyday tasks
• Worked closely with the Neuropsychologist and Case Manager to develop realistic goals towards returning to work in conjunction with other areas of life. This included a Fatigue Management Programme
• Completed a Work Place Assessment with his previous employer to identify suitable duties
• Developed a 'return to work' plan for alternative duties within the workplace. This included preparation of building plans and administration tasks within the office. The 'return to work' programme was successful and gave evidence to demonstrate that our client could progress to work in his chosen field on a part-time basis. It also gave him the confidence he needed to return to work
• The OT together with the Case Manager canvassed for a work simulated environment of plumbing tasks to assist the next stage of the programme.

The result:

• The client has successfully returned to part time work within the office environment. At this point he continues to participate in a graded return to work on a maintenance site with the support of a 'buddy'. His long term goal of returning to work as an apprentice plumber is well within sight!