How to Deal With the Aftermath of a Workplace Injury
If you’ve been injured at work, you have a lot to deal with. Not only do you have to work on healing, but you have to figure out your financial and work situation. To help you make it through this difficult time, use these tips. This blog will offer advice for caring for yourself physically, emotionally, and financially after an injury at work.
Make Sure You Heal
After you’ve been injured at work, your first priority needs to be making sure you can physically heal as much as possible. To that end, make sure you seek medical advice right away. You’ll need a doctor to determine the extent of the damage to your body and to forma plan for howto treat it.
Keep in touch with your doctor about your progress and current symptoms, and make sure you follow their advice for how much rest you should get and how you should care for your injury. During this period, give yourself permission to do less so that you recover instead of prolonging or aggravating your injury.
Take Care of Your Emotional Health
An injury doesn’t just affect your body. Because many people feel deep emotional ties to their work, a workplace injury can affect how you feel about yourself, particularly if the injury is severe and prevents you from working further.
Many people feel depressed or anxious after a workplace injury. Additionally, if your injury stops you from working or from your daily activities, you may experience a loss of identity and self-worth. These emotions are real and important, and if you experience them, you shouldn’t brush them off lightly.
When you visit your medical provider, make sure to let them know if you’ve been struggling emotionally after your workplace accident. Your doctor can assess you and let you know if they think you’d benefit from mental health treatment, such as antidepressants, therapy, or a combination of the two. Make sure you follow through and take your doctor’s advice, since you need your mental health in good shape in order to fully heal and recover.
Be Proactive With Your Finances
If you were injured on the job, theoretically you should be able to get financial help right away. Most injured workers need compensation immediately to cover their medical bills and their lost wages. However, the reality is more complicated. Unfortunately, workers’ compensation may take too long for you to access if your employer drags their feet, or you may not initially receive enough money to cover your expenses.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has found that workers who have been injured tend to bear about 50% of the costs out of pocket, which means that even with health insurance and compensation, you may still lose money because of your injury. And if your injury doesn’t ever fully heal, you may lose even more money in your future because your future work will be limited by your condition.
If you’ve been injured at work, the best way to prevent financial problems is to speak with a qualified workers’ compensation lawyer. They can help you get compensation as quickly as possible and better your chances of getting adequate compensation to cover your expenses. If you’re proactive about compensation now, you have a better chance of being in great financial shape later – which also means you’ll be able to focus on healing body and mind instead of worrying about money.
If you need an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in the Phoenix, AZ, area, reach out to the Matt Fendon Law Group. We’ll help you get back on your feet during this difficult time.
