Australia’s largest life insurer TAL has become a signatory to the Australasian Consensus Statement on the Health Benefits of Work.
TAL Chief Customer Service and Operations Officer Penny Coates said: “TAL believes very strongly in supporting customers to return to health so they can get back on their feet and get on with their lives.
“Our own experience shows that when people return to work sooner rather than later that it promotes recovery and helps restore self-esteem and a sense of worth after being struck down by injury or illness.”
The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) released the Consensus Statement on the Health Benefits of Work to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to affirm the importance of work as being good for health and wellbeing.
Ms Coates said: “TAL is here for our customers and their families in times of illness and injury. We understand we can also make a difference in the wider community by supporting programs that help people live healthier and better lives.
“At those times when our customers have to claim, our priority is to work with them and assist them to return to health and work where we can. In some cases we organise rehabilitation programs for customers and even help in workplace retraining.”
Ms Coates said life insurers like TAL are working much closer with the medical profession and, in many cases, a customer’s place of employment, when managing a claim to help the recovery process and pave the way for a return to work and a normal life.
The Health Benefits of Work Statement was launched in March 2011. It followed some work done by the Faculty which looked at the relationship between health, wellbeing and work both in Australia and internationally including the impacts of being out of work.
The Faculty found that being out of work for a period of time can in itself become one of the major barriers to returning to a normal life. If a person is off work for:
· 20 days, the chance of ever getting back to work is 70%
· 45 days, the chance of ever getting back to work is 50%
· 70 days, the chance of ever getting back to work is 35%.
The Statement says: “Realising the health benefits of work for all Australians requires a paradigm shift in thinking and practice. It necessitates cooperation between many stakeholders, including government, employers, unions, insurance companies, legal practitioners, advocacy groups, and the medical, nursing and allied health professions.”
Background on the benefits of return to health and work and role TAL is playing to help its customers get back on their feet can be found on TAL’s A Voice for Life consumer information portal. Below are three case studies in relation to TAL’s return to health and work program:
Case study 1
Mr H, 54 years old, was a General Practitioner Doctor and had been on income protection claim for many months having suffered from diabetic-related symptoms on his leg. TAL arranged and paid for rehabilitation over an extended period, supporting both Mr H and the rehab provider during this time. He returned to work full-time as a result.
Case study 2
Mr G, a courier driver, had been on income claim for an extended period due to Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and while it was accepted he would be on claim long term, he revealed he was determined to get better and return to work one day. TAL actively supported Mr G during this time with a rehabilitation program which included participating in a job seeking service. Mr G returned to work full time.
Case study 4
A 28 year old office worker was suffering from chronic pain due to a broken wrist and nerve damage. She was unable to carry out her job due to the inability to type for long periods of time. TAL arranged rehabilitation services and a graduated return to work plan. TAL purchased voice activated software to assist and the customer eventually returned to full employment.
