Returning to work after the onset of illness: Experiences of right hemisphere stroke survivors. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin

Experiences of right hemisphere stroke survivors in their attempts to return to work after the onset of stroke were explored through an interdisciplinary qualitative investigation. Key findings indicate that (a) participants experienced an array of functional limitations that precipitated employment changes; (b) employment changes had a substantial psy-chosocial impact on both the stroke survivor and the primary caregiver; and (c) suc-cessful integration into employment was associated with both internal resources (e.g., patience, determination, sense of humor) and external resources (e.g., emotional sup-port and encouragement from caregivers, family, and friends; emotional and instrumen-tal support from healthcare professionals; employer willingness to provide reasonable accommodations). The findings support the use of an ecological approach to facilitate successful return to work for this population