One Call Care Management Presents Two Sessions on the Risks and Opportunities Posed by the Aging Workforce

Executives Kevin Glennon and Michelle Despres Outline Best Practices
to Proactively Assess and Address the Needs of Aged Injured Workers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#SEAK2016–Given current demographic trends, the number of aged workers in the U.S.
workforce is set to increase significantly over the next few decades.
According to the Department of Labor, 40% of the workforce was comprised
of employees at the age of 55 or older in 2013. This percentage will
only increase as baby boomers reach 65 years of age at a rate of 10,000
a day until 2030, and many of them plan to work well into their
retirement years.

To help workers’ compensation professionals understand the impact this
trend will have on claims severity, costs and outcomes, Kevin Glennon,
RN, VP of Operations, Home Health, Clinical and Quality Assurance
Programs at One
Call Care Management
(“One Call”), and Michelle Despres, PT, CEAS
II, VP and National Product Leader at Align
Networks
, a division of One Call Care Management, were invited to
lead two sessions on this complex topic at SEAK’s 36th
Annual National Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Medicine
Conference
.

Glennon’s session, “Understanding the Changing Needs of the Aging
Injured Worker,” outlined the body’s natural aging process and how it
can impact workers’ compensation programs.

“If we have a 70-year-old and a 20-year-old who experience similar
slip-and-fall accidents, these two workers will likely experience vastly
different injuries,” said Glennon. “The 20-year-old might sustain a soft
tissue injury such as a sprain or strain. However, the 70-year-old might
suffer a hip fracture that would require more extensive treatment, such
as surgery, and more time away from work. As such, dealing with an aged
injured worker requires a specialized clinical approach to identify and
address complications and ensure optimal medical outcomes.”

Chronic conditions—such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease—are
more common among older workers and can make treatment and recovery more
challenging. “It’s important to know if such conditions exist upfront
and to proactively account for these risks in the treatment plan,” said
Glennon.

Despres’ session, “Aging Workforce: What Workers’ Compensation and
Occupational Health Professionals Need to Know,” discussed additional
risks as well as opportunities.

“First, it’s important to realize that aging workers bring a wealth of
benefits to the workplace,” said Despres. “They tend to be loyal, have a
great work ethic, a can-do attitude, and a wealth of experience to draw
upon, not to mention a low rate of absenteeism and risk-averse
behaviors. The goal is to maximize their contributions, while minimizing
the risk and impact of having them injured on the job.”

“The aging process results in a loss of muscle and strength, which can
lead to injuries and hamper recovery,” noted Despres. “From a physical
medicine perspective, there’s a tremendous opportunity to improve
results, by leveraging specialized programs for rehabilitation. For
example, work conditioning and resistance training can build stamina,
strength and endurance—all factors that can boost the worker’s
confidence and physical ability to return to full duty.”

If you were unable to attend these two sessions at SEAK, Despres will be
giving another talk on this same topic at the International Workers’
Compensation Foundation’s Nevada
Educational Conference
, August 18-19 in Las Vegas.

Generally speaking, aging claimants require more treatments per claim
and more time to recover from their injuries. Workers’ compensation
professionals should work with companies like One Call to implement a
proactive care management strategy that accounts for aging claimants’
needs, thereby ensuring a prompt and safe return to work.

To learn more about the needs of the aging injured worker and how One
Call and Align can help manage these claims, contact the companies
through their websites below.

About One Call Care Management

One Call is the nation’s leading provider of specialized solutions to
the workers’ compensation industry. One Call’s solutions enable faster,
more efficient and more cost-effective claims resolution with a focus on
injured workers’ needs across the continuum of care. One Call provides
reliable, consistent connections to care with expertise in high end
diagnostics, physical therapy and transportation services,
post-discharge home care and durable medical equipment, dental and
doctor specialty services, complex care management, and the language
services required for today’s multicultural workforce. For more
information, visit www.onecallcm.com.
Align Networks is a division of One Call Care Management, the nation’s
leading provider of specialized solutions to the workers’ compensation
industry. For further information, please visit: www.alignnetworks.com.

Contacts

Scott Public Relations
Joy Scott, 818-610-0270
joy@scottpublicrelations.com

Recibe gratis las noticias más importantes y más leídas diariamente en tu email

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias!

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain