Returning to work with a brain injury

Posted in Brain Injury,Our Blog on June 25, 2018

While some people who suffer from a brain injury will never be able to return to their former occupations, a number of people in Louisiana and around the United States will be able to go back to work following a recovery period. Going back to work after suffering brain trauma can be difficult. Not only is it possible that the worker’s brain has changed in its ability to reason, plan, organize and function, but their personality and mood may have changed as well. Depending on its severity and the area of the brain that was affected, brain trauma can affect a wide-range of physical and psychological abilities.

A study conducted by Whiteneck and colleagues found that after one year after a brain injury occurred, 50 percent of brain trauma patients failed to return to work. Researchers found that people who have recovered from brain trauma may have trouble performing certain duties at work, such as organizing tasks, concentrating, remembering, problem-solving, listening to others, meeting deadlines and even experience visual and auditory deficiencies. People may also have problems involving consistent fatigue, transportation challenges, emotional issues and becoming dependent on others to complete their daily activities.

Some employers make accommodations in order to ease the transition back into the workplace. For example, employers may provide cognitive skills training, counseling and guidance and extra support for employees returning to work. Employers may allow employees to start by working shorter hours, take more breaks during the day and taking on a lighter workload to help them return to work gradually.