| WORKING WORLD
By Tamar Asedo Sherman
People who have been out on disability or retired for many years are attempting to return to the work force under mounting pressure from the economic crisis we are all facing.
At 72 years of age, Claire has been retired for 10 years, but she contacted her state’s vocational rehabilitation unit to seek help in getting at least a part-time job due to “a change in fortune,” she said. Her MS is invisible, causing her to experience shooting pains up her back and neck, but she feels she can deal with it for a few hours a day in the work place. She can’t afford not to.
A college graduate with decades of experience in marketing and public relations, she has skills and contacts that are outdated. She and her state voc rehab counselor want to know what job she could realistically perform.
Attractive and energetic, Claire looks years younger than her age. With short-term computer training in Microsoft Office Suite, she might be able to get a part-time clerical job that would bring in some extra cash without affecting her Social Security benefits.
Then there is Don, a 35-year-old man who also has MS, but no work history other than a job that lasted 4 months after he graduated from college a dozen years ago. He spent the ensuing years reading and researching “things” on the computer, and now, suddenly, he is desperate to find a job. But the computer skills he gained in college are long since outdated, and he has none of the “soft skills” that employers are looking for.
Despite his eagerness to find a job, Don is not employable at this time. He has never had to show up somewhere every day at a precise time to perform tasks that someone else tells him to do, or to work until a specified hour to eat lunch or take a break. He does not know how to dress or speak to others in the work place, how to get along with coworkers or supervisors, how to behave on the job.
However, it is his MS symptoms that pose greater barriers to his ability to get a job at this time. In addition to a pronounced limp that resembles a stagger, Don is experiencing cognitive difficulties. With a bachelor’s degree in statistics, he is currently unable to perform any mathematical calculations, frequently is at a loss for words, and seems unable to remember a thought from one minute to the next. He describes it as “brain freeze.” It will be difficult to accommodate these disabilities in the work place.
My professional advice to Don was first to see his neurologist about getting medication that might help him focus and calm down. He talks very rapidly, repeating words and thoughts over and over. Next, I suggested that he do some volunteer work, anything to get him out of the house and going somewhere on a regular schedule. That is important for anyone who has been sitting around at home for an extended period of time. Get out there and start interacting with other people. Helping others is often the best way to help yourself to overcome depression and feeling sorry for yourself. A nursing home or hospital is often a good place to start; other possibilities are a library, the local chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society or other nonprofit agency. They can always use someone to stuff envelopes or answer telephones.
The flip side of economic pressure on people with disabilities is that some might seek to return to work too soon after sustaining an injury or serious illness, or put off having needed surgery, like Arnold, age 53, because they don’t want to lose any more time from work than is absolutely necessary. A roofer for 25 years, he has a heart condition and can no longer climb ladders or balance on unprotected heights, but he is self-employed and if he cannot work, he does not get paid.
Short-term disability benefits provided by an employer typically cover between 60% and 70% of a worker’s salary. A prolonged absence could pose financial hardship on a worker so that he or she might seek to go back to work before being completely healed. And with layoffs in many industries, the injured worker might fear for his job, increasing his feelings of urgency in returning to work. Before assuming full duties, however, you might consider a modified schedule or modified responsibilities, to transition gradually to avoid further injury or relapse of illness. Returning to work too soon not only puts you in danger but can also put co-workers at risk.
Tamar Asedo Sherman is an employment specialist. She can be reached at tsherman@unitedspinal.org.
