Does Compassion, Empathy, Kindness and Communication Make a Difference in Cases of TBI, SCI and other Severe Life-Changing Injuries?

To reach Donna Check at Donna Check Consulting, LLC, go to DonnaCheck.com

Reprint June 23, 2023 from BLOOM Magazine Vault (formerly InTouch), written by Donna Check July 26, 2021 from her column, "It's Time To Talk About It"

One of the closing paragraphs in my previous article regarding traumatic or severe work-related injuries was, “A person, a human being,?someone just like us, and family members are devastated. Their lives are changed?forever?and their fears are real and don’t go away for a very long time.”

Taking this through the workers’ compensation process …

Expanding on what I previously shared in my first article in May 2021, family members of the injured employee who has suffered a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or other severe injury are devastated. Fear and loss of control can easily take over. Questions go through the mind of the spouse, partner, parent, or child … Who will pick up the kids today? Did he pay the mortgage? How long will he be here? Does his boss know he won’t be in? What if he dies? Will I have to take care of him? How will I take care of him? How will we survive financially? Will I have to quit my job? Will he be fired if he can’t go back to work? Is he fired now because he was injured? Who do I call for help? Do I need an attorney? What am I supposed to do?

How do I know those questions?

Sometimes family members say them out loud, depending on their comfort level, and some will openly share what they were initially thinking as time goes on. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s made worse by the unknown, the feeling of loss, and helplessness.

Shifting to the workers’ compensation claim?…

We know professionals working within the workers’ compensation industry have much to consider early on regarding the circumstances, conditions, and employee status at the time the injury occurred. We?know?the guidelines, tasks, legal and other responsibilities. There is?much?going on in the background – the “claim” – while the injured employee is hospitalized. And everyone knows adjusters have an overwhelming number of “claims,” with each claim representing an actual human being who is hurt.

Back to the family?…

Who is talking with the family after the injury occurs? Does a call from the adjuster help the family?and?the claim? To me, I am relieved when I hear from the family that the adjuster has been in touch with them from the day the injury occurred, and that?the adjuster continues to check in with the family.

It appears to me when the adjuster expresses concern, compassion, is kind and remains in communication, families are less stressful and?actually feel better?because the lines of communication are open. They feel supported and know their family member, the injured employee, is important and valued as a person and as an employee.

So the BIG question?…

Is the outcome of the injured employee and the outcome of the claim any different with?immediate and open communication??Let’s consider …

The general public hears warnings on television all day such as, “Don’t talk with your adjuster.” And no offense is intended here but is claimant attorney involvement?right after an injury occurs?really helpful to the injured employee?or?the claim … at this early stage?

Of course some claimant attorneys block all communication between the injured employee/family and the adjuster and nurse case manager assigned to provide medical case management services.?Does this restriction delay treatment, care, equipment, testing and more if the claimant attorney wants everything run by her or him? Does it create stress for the family??Again, just to consider.

The involvement of a claimant attorney?can?be a blessing to the family who has had?poor communication – or zero communication – from the onset of the injury leaving the family lost for days and sometimes weeks.Communication via US mail with claim information can take days and, considering the severe injury, family members may remain at the hospital and, on top of that, they don’t care about and can’t focus on the mail. What’s worse in this case is receiving a certified or registered letter with no earlier communication from the adjuster. We?know?that letter can be very intimidating … cold and total business going to someone who is already devastated and frightened.

Families are extremely fragile and how they are treated?matters very much.?With poor or zero communication the family may conclude that the injured employee did something wrong, or the injury and care is not covered (work-related) or, much worse, that the employee is?not important or valued.

How would you feel?

Would?you?want a call? Does kindness and compassion make a difference? Does that connection between adjuster and family matter? I strongly believe it does and have shared this information for many years when providing CE Courses.

I like and totally respect that the adjuster is responsible for the claim and that?everyone?involved is responsible for the outcome. It’s wonderful to know adjusters are open and available to families. It takes a village, a real team, with one main objective. It’s?not?the doctors or the nurses or the catastrophic nurse case managers or the rehabilitation facilities and programs.

EVERYONE involved contributes to and is responsible for the outcome of each and every injured employee and the claim itself.?

If the initial point of contact fails, the domino effect can very easily occur. A claim can go downhill right from the beginning.

All it takes is a phone call with a positive and kind mindset knowing a person is injured and what is?needed and right?to help and support what the injured?employee and family?need.?Kindness. Compassion. Empathy. Support. Information. Education. Communication.

And the adjuster and everyone else in supporting roles to the employee and family should know if the family lashes out, screams, yells, cries or seems overpowering, angry, blaming, etc.,?it is their fear, their loss of control of the situation, not knowing if it’s going to be okay.?This reaction is normal from my perspective. Compassion and empathy are most helpful and MOST important and should continue while providing education, information, and answering questions from that point on.

Everyone should be focused on the needs and outcome objective for the injured employee as well as helping and supporting the family. Keep in mind the family has not realized the injury is life-changing, not only for their loved one but for all family members who love the injured employee.

To all stakeholders involved with the injured employee, ask yourself:

Would YOU want YOU to be handling the “claim” of the person you love the most in the world??

Kindness. Compassion. Empathy. Support. Information. Advocacy. Education. Communication. Always.

Written by Donna Check, July 26, 2021

To reach Donna Check at Donna Check Consulting, LLC, go to DonnaCheck.com