Work and Community Re-Entry

Employment helps fulfill basic human needs and promotes well-being by providing a sense of identity and life satisfaction.  Our mission is to help patients return to as normal a lifestyle as possible and reach their highest level of independence.

To participate in Madonna’s work re-entry program, patients must be motivated to return to work, as well as: 

• 16 years of age or older
• Require skilled physical, occupational or speech-language therapy
• Medically stable and able to tolerate a minimum of three hours of activity per day

The clinician gathers information regarding the person’s previous employment history, details about their previous job, including the physical, cognitive and behavioral capacities required, environmental factors and any barriers to returning to work. These barriers may be directly related to the specific job duties, or in related areas, such as accessing transportation, completing self-care or managing finances.

If appropriate, and with the person’s permission, a copy of their job description is obtained and a job site assessment may be performed. If the person has not already had a neuropsychological assessment, one will be obtained. The rehabilitation team reviews the assessment and develops an individualized return-to-work plan. Specialized therapy is tailored to each participant and may include:

• Cognitive rehabilitation
• Job skill training/re-training
• Job simulation intervention
• Energy conservation
• Adaptive techniques
• Employer education

At some point in the person’s program, they may be asked to be involved in a work trial, where the individual follows steps similar to those in a real work environment by volunteering at Madonna. The work trial may be for a couple of hours a day, one day a week, or much longer depending upon the volunteer job, the person’s ability, and other factors, and may last weeks, months or longer.