What is Disability Management and how can it help you or your loved one?

Disability Management is a specialized practice in which professionals from a variety of educational backgrounds "analyze, prevent and mitigate the human and economic impact of disability for employees and employers." As the definition indicates, disability management services focus on helping people recover the ability to work after acquiring a disability that resulted from an injury, illness or disease.

Disability case management can be described as services that include goals for retaining or resuming employment as well as addressing other aspects of individuals' lives that are affected by injury, illness or chronic disease.

Occupational Therapists like Allie Hafez are among the professionals providing Disability Case Management services. Occupational Therapists (OTs) bring a unique combination of knowledge, training and skills to the challenges of helping people work in spite of limitations caused by injury, illness or chronic disease:

• extensive knowledge of medical conditions and their effects on functional abilities

• extensive training on analyzing the subtle components of tasks, activities and jobs, as well as the physical, mental and emotional demands of doing them

• extensive training on modifying environments, tools, task and job processes, and methods of doing things

• extensive training in helping people adapt to changes that affect their abilities to do things.