Our second blog post is going to focus on returning to work after mild to moderate brain injury. Now obviously return to work happens at different times depending on the severity of the brain injury, and the time elapsed since the original injury. But generally speaking, the process itself and the things you need to consider before returning to work are fairly similar. Sometimes return to paid employment is not possible at all, and in those cases it is can be beneficial to try and find another meaningful and productive activity that you or your loved one can engage in, in place of work.

The first and most important thing that you need to do is to inform your employer that you have experienced a brain injury. Keeping in touch during the recovery period can help to foster your employer’s understanding of your injury and potential difficulties that you may face on your return to work. There may be opportunities for you to visit your workplace in a non-working capacity for meetings with your employer, and this can help to de-stigmatise your injury for others, and reduce your personal anxiety about physically returning to the workplace.

As occupational therapists, the process that we would employ when considering your return to work is to break down the components of the job that you do.

We look at the physical demands placed upon you – do you spend the majority of your day standing or seated? Do you have any lifting to do? Is there a requirement for advanced motor skills, for example, those required to operate heavy machinery or production lines?

We also look at the cognitive demands of the job. Is there a need for sustained concentration, or adaptive concentration where you need to be able to switch tasks quickly and effectively, such as when working as a teacher or childcare worker? Is there a requirement for you to have fast and accurate information processing, such as in accountancy or a reception job where you are directing people?

We consider social and communication skills, particularly in the context of brain injury. Do you need to communicate with individuals face to face, over the telephone, in writing? Is there a need for you to have advanced communication skills, such as those required when discussing a complex problem, for example, as an engineer?

We would analyse every element of the job that you do and then consider these in the context of your brain injury, in order to establish what rehabilitation, grading or adjustment is required to get you back to work.

In terms of adjustments to paid work, there are many that can be made. In some cases, return to work is just not possible, particularly if you are in a job where the lasting effects of your brain injury could cause harm to others. An example of this would be as a heavy goods vehicle operator. But in most cases of mild brain injury, graded return to work is an option, as are reasonable adjustments such as more frequent rest breaks, or adaptation to the specific activities that your job includes. Rehabilitation can help here whilst the adjustments are being made – your occupational therapist can identify the specific area of the task that you are struggling with, and work with you to improve the motor or cognitive skill associated with it.

Returning to work can be challenging in the early stages, but generally rewarding and extremely beneficial to the recovery process in the long term. Indeed, many of the issues seen after mild brain injury, in particular, are compounded by a lack of productive occupation and structure in an individual’s day. Work gives us that chance to be productive, it encourages a regular routine, and it provides opportunities for social communication.

Headway is a great charitable organisation that supports individuals after brain injury. Some links to relevant areas of their website follows. Thanks for reading.

www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/practical-issues/returning-to-work

www.headway.org.uk/media/2818/returning-to-work-after-brain-injury.pdf

www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/6-strategies-for-getting-back-to-work-after-brain-injury/