Vocational rehabilitation in northern Sweden. I. A socio-demographic description.
Some socio-demographic variables were registered by structured interview in a consecutive series (n = 149) of subjects referred for vocational rehabilitation with a diagnosis of somatic disease. Two years later the subjects were re-interviewed about current occupational and financial status. Initially 43% received sickness allowance and 18% unemployment compensation, the remaining 39% were vocationally active. Almost 19% needed only technical aids to be able to return to/remain in work; an intervention which was used significantly more often for the--relatively older--self-employed than for the rest of the sample. Two years later 80% of those who were vocationally active at the time of referral were still at work, the remaining 20% were undergoing training (11%) or were vocationally inactive (9%). Among those who were receiving sickness benefit/unemployment compensation at referral, 44% were at work and 20% were receiving education. Return to work after vocational inactivity was financially beneficial. It is concluded that vocational rehabilitation in Umeå had a fair rate of success. This may be due to the low rate of handicaps.
Eklund
M
M
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Umeå, Sweden.
Fugl-Meyer
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AR
D000328:Adult; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden