Skip to main content

Case Management of the Older Worker


You might be a boomer if:      

The Beatles

                                                 
  • You know why they call it "dialing" a phone
  • You researched a topic using your parents' set of encyclopedias 
  • You remember Joe Namath in pantyhose

As our case managers log in their case updates, I noticed several claimants that are baby boomers, injured in the workplace.  Stacy Mathis, RN just closed a file on an injured fireman.  His work injury involve several body parts, and his treatment planning had to take into consideration a pre-existing knee surgery and mental depression. From day one, this injured worker stated his goal was to get back to work, which he did achieve.  Jackie Cooper, RN has an ongoing file where the injured worker was just shy a few months from retiring, and will lose all benefits if she cannot complete her tenure.  

Case Management of aging employees takes into consideration these 3 key factors:
  1. Comorbidities - the older we are, the more likely we are to have other pre-existing medical issues such as hypertension, arthritis, or even gastric reflux.  Any comorbidity impacts not only the treatment administered for a work injury, but also the individual's response to treatment.  
  2. Recovery Time - due to aging, many adults have weaker muscles, decreased range of motion and flexibility, and need not only additional healing time, but also sometimes need work conditioning in order to return to their job demands.
  3. Work Ethic - on the positive side, older workers tend to have a good work ethic; a can-do attitude.  
Of these factors, I dare say work ethic is the strongest indicator of successful recovery and Return to Work. Case Managers try to work with the employer and injured worker to facilitate a positive outcome through communications and understanding of special needs.  

But the question remains, Will you still need me When I'm 64? (Click to listen)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Case Management GPS

W The next time I purchase a new vehicle there are several features I have on my wish list.  For as much as we case managers travel, Navigation is high on the priority scale to make life easier.  Under the pressure of arriving at a physician appointment on time, it's never a good feeling to take a wrong turn or get lost. There are times our role as a case manager is much like a navigator. Deana Scott, RN had that experience just yesterday while attending a physician visit.  After three years of treatment for a work injury, the physician had nothing further to offer, and there appeared to be issues of malingering and symptom magnification.  There was a point at which the physician actually had a look in his eye of being lost as  far as how to bring the treatment course to an end.  Confusion centered around  the injured worker's return to work goals.   It's at times like this, a Case Manager is able to maintain focus and much like a navigato...
1 comment
Read more

Slipping Under the Radar

A work injury is NO vacation!  Most of us would agree with that statement.  It's never fun to get hurt, yet it doesn't stop an injured worker from trying to turn recovery time into paid time off.  It is very common to have clients make requests to postpone procedures, therapy and return to work for personal reasons.  If this request is made to a physician under their group health insurance, it is not really an issue.  However when such a request is made during healing timeframe from a work injury, this is not an appropriate or reasonable request. As Case Managers, we must remind both the injured worker and providers that during recovery and rehabilitation time the injured worker's "job" is to heal and comply with appropriate treatment and work status.   Just this week, Deana Scott, RN had a client to request postponing her light duty return to work until she could finish outpatient therapy.  What Deana reminded her of, was that the activity of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Working Both Sides of the Fence

Our Case Management role is so multifaceted.  While we are patient advocates to help injured workers obtain the best treatment on the road to healing, we also find ourselves working the other side of the fence - working just as hard to expose those defrauding the workers compensation system.   This week one of our RN case managers discovered in review of records that a patient had "chronic" back pain, when she had denied ANY pre-existing back pain or treatment for her reported work injury.  This patient DOES need treatment, but it should be on her health plan, NOT workers compensation.  On the other side of the fence, he has a patient that was discovered to have a serious underlying cancer causing what he thought was pain from a work incident.  He is working with the carrier to refer the patient to an appropriate provider. Case Management is such a rewarding field, and for so many reasons.  It's a great feeling when you've assisted someone to obtai...
Post a Comment
Read more