The Halifax Work Hardening Centre is transforming the tragedy behind those numbers into meaningful triumphs. Many patients who suffered for years with chronic pain and impaired functionality are able to find dramatic hope at the Halifax Work Hardening Centre. And we've made a return to work feasible for another 21 percent, who may need some upgrading skills. The Work Hardening Centre has been open for four years, with Boland and McCarthy heading a dedicated staff who have accumulated more than 116 years of experience in their chosen professions. In Partnership with the Halifax Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, the Work Hardening Centre works with patients who have been seriously injured on jobs, in motor vehicle accidents, and other related traumas.
Clients work closely with vocational management specialists, employers, and family physicians.
The program may begin with standard physiotherapy care, to help alleviate acute pain. When pain and inflammation and decreased, the patients functionality is assessed. The patient then embarks on a comprehensive program, including muscle strengthening, cardiovascular conditioning, and work simulation tasks, supervised by trained therapists. At the centre, patients who have been off the job three months or less are put through a work reconditioning program that boasts an 82 percent success rate. Working with allied professionals, patients are also counselled on how to cope with chronic pain, how to regain control of their life, and how to recapture their work ethic.