Challenges Faced By Brain Injury Victims Returning To The Workplace

When it comes to brain injury statistics, the amount is very overwhelming. Even children are affected by some type of brain injury each year. When someone receives a brain injury due to some type of accident, it can cause death or a long term disability. If they don’t lose their life, they will most likely eventually have to consider going back to work in order to maintain their expenses.

Disabling effects of brain injuries

When someone receives a brain injury, there are a few symptoms that are the most common and can be expected. These symptoms could include:
• Memory loss
• Personality disorder
• Behavioral disorder
• Pain
• Paralysis
• Chronic fatigue
• Sensory impairment
• Sleep disorders
• Seizures
• Memory loss

Because each case is different, it is hard to determine which symptoms will be short term and which ones will be long term, leaving the victim with many challenges that him/her and their family must deal with. Victims will most likely recover should they have great medical care and good legal representation. With a determination, they can return to work or find something that they can do within their means in order to return to the workforce.

Helping people with disabilities

Those who hesitate to return to work after suffering from a brain injury will most likely become overwhelmed by their current mental status and it will eventually become too much to handle. Returning to work as soon as you are released by a medical professional is the best way to get over their fear and start to feel some type of normal again.

Employers who have an employee that is returning to work after dealing with some type of disability would need to make some type of accommodation in order to allow them to continue to work at the same place. They may not have the same position but they cannot legally be fired due to their disability. An employer would need to make some adjustments which may include:

• Flexible work hours and breaks
• Provide large print or special type of material to read
• Offer services that would accommodate for loss of hearing
• Offer modified duties.

While it may be easier to not make exceptions to this rule, it is vital that individuals who have some degree of disability be able to function as normal as quickly as possible. In the eyes of the law, it is important that employers recognize that this is the right thing to do and while they may not be able to do their own normal job, they still have to find something for them to do in order to stay at their current employers.

Communication between an employer and an employee is essential

While dealing with an injury, it is important that the employee stay connected to his or her employer during the recovery time. This will allow the employer time to make changes, think of a way to modify their current position, and discover what is available for them as a company.

Victims of an accident that results in brain injury can never just assume that their employers, their co-workers, and anyone else can recognize that they have a job that will wait for them to return. In fact, their disability may prevent them from doing their job at all. If a worker suffers from short term memory loss, it may be too dangerous for them to return to their job and have to seek another position that may not be so dangerous. These accommodations will take time to the employer to work out, so stay in touch as much as possible, if you plan to work after your recovery.

Compensation for brain injury victims

It is a good idea to find good representation as soon as you have been involved in an accident. You need someone that is going to represent you so you can concentrate on the healing process. You need a personal injury lawyer in Edmonton that will handle everything for you.