Here are five things to assure your not disabling the disabled :

1) Develop a “tough love” mind set - Don’t make life too easy for the insured. Although we feel empathy and sympathy for the insured, providing them with more modifications than necessary can cause them to become weaker, more sedentary, have less energy and become more and more dependent as time goes by. If they can do it, make them do it. (Within reason)

2) Train the home evaluator or at least choose the right one - Most therapist go into the profession because they want to “help people”. So they exercise their skills and provide recommendations that create an entirely balanced and harmonious living environment. Our schools fail miserably by not teaching therapist about working with insurance companies and understanding cost containment and medical necessity. If you can’t find a therapist who understands, find them and train them.

3) Focus on can do - Before you send a therapist out to evaluate the home, make sure they have reviewed the status reports created by the treating therapist and physician. Knowing their functional capabilities is much more important than knowing their diagnosis. If they can do it, or are expected to reach a certain level, don’t create a home environment that expects anything less. Encourage progress and not regression.

4) Consider life skills hardening - If we treated activities of daily living as we did work hardening, we would be amazed at the results. Intensity + repetition + required adaptations = independence

5) Ask for help - Unless you have experience in dealing with therapist, contractors and construction, sometimes it might be best to ask for help. There are companies like the David Corey Company that can help with assuring that your not disabling the disabled.

If you would like some help, Email me at coreys@davidcoreycompany.com

Let me know how you’re doing!

Corey Staver

The David Corey Company