Rehab Centers: The Financial Impact of Employment Decisions for Individuals With HIV.
The financial impact of employment decisions for individuals with HIV.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Work. 2012 Aug 9;
Cho E, Chan K
Objective: Individuals living with HIV face challenging employment decisions that have personal, financial, and health impacts. The decision to stay or to leave the work force is much more complicated for an individual with HIV because the financial choices related to potential health benefits are not clearly understood. To assist in the decision-making process for an individual with HIV, we propose to develop a decision model that compares the potential costs and benefits of staying in or leaving the work force. Participants: A hypothetical cohort of HIV-infected individuals was simulated in our decision model. Characteristics of these individuals over a one-year period were extracted from the medical literature and publicly available national surveys. Men and women between the ages of 18 and 59 were included in our simulated cohort. Methods: A decision tree model was created to estimate the financial impact of an individual’s decision on employment. The outcomes were presented as the cost-savings associated with the following employment statuses over a one-year period: 1) staying full-time, 2) switching from full-to part-time, 3) transitioning from full-time to unemployment, and 4) staying unemployed. CD4 T cell counts and employment statuses were stratified by earned income. Employment probabilities were calculated from national databases on employment trends in the United States. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the effects of the variables on the outcomes. Results: Overall, the decision outcome that resulted in the least financial loss for individuals with HIV was to remain at work. For an individual with CD4 T cell count > 350, the cost difference between staying employed full-time and switching from full-time to part-time status was a maximum of $ 2,970. For an individual with a CD4 T cell count between 200 and 350, the cost difference was as low as {$ 126 and as great as $ 2,492. For an individual with a CD4 T cell count < 200, the minimum cost difference was $ 375 and the maximum cost difference was $ 2,253. Conclusions: Based on our simulated model, we recommend an individual with CD4 T cell count > 350 to stay employed full-time because it resulted in the least financial loss. On the other hand, for an individual with a CD4 T cell > 350, the financial cost loss was much more variable. Our model provides an objective decision-making guide for individuals with HIV to weigh the costs and benefits of employment decisions.
HubMed – rehab
Specialized housing and transportation needs of adults with multiple sclerosis.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Work. 2012 Jul 19;
Roessler RT, Bishop M, Rumrill PD, Sheppard-Jones K, Waletich B, Umeasiegbu V, Bishop L
This study evaluated the specialized housing, transportation, and resource needs and barriers of adults with MS. Information pertaining to barriers and barrier removal strategies related to housing and transportation issues for adults with MS was gathered as part of a national survey of a randomly selected and representative sample of 5082 adults with MS, in cooperation with affiliate chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) and the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS). This article presents a qualitative analysis of participants’ responses to questions addressing: (a) barriers to obtaining specialized housing and adapted transportation for individuals with MS, (b) factors contributing to maintenance of an independent lifestyle, and (c) information and referral resources pertinent to obtaining specialized housing and adapted transportation. The results provide the first assessment of these issues on a national scale and underscore the need for increased access to professional consultation, financial resources, and housing modification information and resources to enable persons with MS to obtain the specialized housing needed to maintain maximal independent lifestyles.
HubMed – rehab
Predictors of vocational outcomes using Individual Placement and Support for people with mental illness.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Work. 2012 Jun 19;
Nygren U, Markström U, Bernspång B, Svensson B, Hansson L, Sandlund M
Objective: People with disabilities find it harder to enter the labour market than people without disabilities and those with a mental illness are, in relation to people with other disabilities, employed at an essentially lower extent. Many are effectively helped by the vocational rehabilitation model Individual Placement and Support (IPS), but there are still many individuals left in undesired unemployment. This study investigates potential predictors of the vocational outcomes of a one-year follow up of IPS in the north of Sweden. Participants: The participants were 65 men and women, mostly younger than 30 years of age diagnosed with a mental illness (predominantly with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression). Methods: Baseline data related to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the client, the client’ own perceptions of every day living and participation, self-esteem and quality of life, as well as the quantity of employment support, were investigated using analyses of logistic regression. Results: Of three identified potential predictors, only psychiatric symptoms remained significant in the multivariate logistic regression analyses. A lower level of symptoms increased the odds with 5.5 for gaining employment during one year.Conclusions: Careful investigation of how psychiatric symptoms influence clients’ occupational performance is of importance. By understanding essential aspects of the relationships between the clients’ individual characteristics, the rehabilitation context and the vocational outcomes, more appropriate and effective interventions may be offered to the individual client.
HubMed – rehab
Are rehabilitation programmes enabling clients to return to work? Return to work perspectives of individuals with mild to moderate brain injury in South Africa.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Work. 2012 Jun 14;
Soeker MS, Van Rensburg V, Travill A
Objective: To describe the perceptions and experiences of individuals with brain injury with regard to return to work rehabilitation programmes. Participants: Nine males and one female who were diagnosed with a moderate to mild brain injury participated in the study. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted and data were analyzed using a qualitative approach to explicate patterns and themes. Results: Two themes emerged that reflected the lived experiences of individuals with brain injury regarding intervention programmes that influenced their ability to return to work after the brain injury: 1) Enablers of return to work programmes, 2) Barriers related to return to work programmes. Conclusions: Occupational therapy practitioners as well as rehabilitation personnel should identify and eliminate the barriers that impact on return to work intervention programmes, incorporate the enablers identified in this study when designing return to work programmes.
HubMed – rehab
Experiences of factors contributing to women’s ability to make informed decisions about the process of rehabilitation and return to work: A focus group study.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Work. 2012 Jun 14;
Mårtensson L, Hensing G
Objective: Functional, interactive and critical skills to use and act on health information, i.e. health literacy, are central preconditions for decision-making. To construct a decision aid that strengthens women’s abilities to make decisions during sick leave, knowledge is needed about factors that increase health literacy. The aim of this study was for that reason to explore and describe women’s experiences of factors that contribute to their ability to make informed decisions about the process of rehabilitation and return to work.Participants: Nineteen women with a period of sick leave during the previous 12 months participated. Methods: A qualitative design with a focus group methodology was used. The qualitative data analysis was based on five focus group discussions. Results: A number of factors emerged that were experienced as supporting. They were distributed over five qualitative categories. Trusting in, valuing and using one’s own resources, taking the initiative and obtaining information were described as crucial to making well-founded decisions. Being coached by a professional or being supported by significant others were other factors that contributed to decision-making. The women also experienced that a trustful, transparent, continuous relationship with the professionals involved in the rehabilitation process contributed to well-founded decisions. Conclusions: The factors experienced as contributing to sick-listed women’s ability to make informed decisions were both personal and environmental. Some have a connection with theories that conceptualize intentional relationships and self-efficacy. The factors may be useful as an initial source for the development of a decision aid for women.
HubMed – rehab
Phoebe consolidating rehab centers – Phoebe Putney began the consolidation of inpatient physical rehabilitation services Monday admitting all new inpatient rehabilitation patients to the 25-bed inpatient facility on the Phoebe North Campus.The FOX 31 Newscast is Albany, Georgia’s only 10PM local newscast. For more local Albany, Georgia stories, visit www.mysouthwestga.com.
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