Vocational rehabilitation factors associated with successful return to work outcomes for clients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

PURPOSE:This study investigated the extent to which demographic characteristics, receipt of Social Security benefits, and vocational rehabilitation (VR) services influence competitive employment outcomes for people with Parkinson's Disease who were unemployed at the time they enrolled in the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. METHOD:The Rehabilitation Services Administration's Case Service Report (RSA-911) database for Fiscal Year 2014 was examined using a purposeful selection logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Results indicated that participants who received on-the-job support (both short-term and long-term), job placement, maintenance, and college or university tuition assistance from the VR program were significantly more likely to achieve competitive employment than were participants who did not receive those services. Participants who received assessment services were less likely to achieve competitive employment than were those who did not receive assessment services. In addition, receiving a greater number of VR services over a shorter period of time and not receiving Social Security disability benefits were positively associated with competitive employment outcomes. CONCLUSION: Overall, the number and type of VR services received had more influence on competitive employment outcomes than did client demographic variables.

Employer representatives’ experiences of supporting employees with cognitive impairments in a digital work environment

“…People experiencing cognitive impairments may be reluctant to disclose their condition, owing to its sensitive nature and the potential consequences of being stigmatized. The findings imply that the process of identifying employees' needs required cooperation between the employer representative and the employee over time, based on a trusting relationship which concurs with previous research [37,38]. In addition, involving and collaborating with family members can provide valuable insights into the needs of employees with cognitive impairments [38].…”

“…Support from employers has a crucial role in facilitating a sustained employment [14,35,36]. However, the lack of experience and knowledge about cognitive impairments and their impact can be a challenge in the endeavor to work as a supportive employer [36] but cooperation with the employee can make it easier to manage, continue and return to work for employees [37,38].…”

Employment Resources for People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Resource Review and Needs Assessment

“…We included 30 consumer-focused documents, 17 peerreviewed articles [1,4,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27], and 12 additional resources provided by the experts that were related to Parkinson's or employment, but not both. Of the 30 consumer-focused documents, 18 were published by non-profit organizations, 9 were published by informal sources such as blogs or social media, and 3 were news articles.…”