Empowering employment: support to thrive at work

For a long time, Trina had an informal arrangement with her employer to work from home. However, after COVID her employer requested all working from home arrangements follow a more formal process.

‘For probably 10 years my informal arrangement was ad hoc; coordinated directly through my manager, depending on my symptoms. After COVID, rules became much stricter and I needed to formalise the arrangement,’ Trina says.

After her initial application was knocked back, Trina reached out to the MS Plus Employment Support Service (Plus ESS), who wrote a letter to her employer explaining how pain and fatigue management work with MS.

‘MS fatigue is not like normal tiredness. It’s not a matter of just resting and feeling better.

‘My Occupational Therapist (OT), Caitrin Mayne was able to explain to my employer how pain and fatigue management worked better in a home setting and how this would lead to increased productivity and improved outcomes for me and them.

‘My application was approved because of Caitrin’s support,’ Trina says.

In the early days of her diagnosis, as Trina began to slowly transition to working from home, her Plus ESS Consultant at the time, Elizabeth Stenhouse worked closely with her to make sure she had the best possible set up. Ultimately it was Elizabeth who encouraged Trina to join the NDIS.

Elizabeth and Caitrin have provided Trina with a variety of supports since she joined MS Plus, including helping Trina to find funding for yoga classes, which aren’t covered by the NDIS.

‘Yoga helps to keep me living independently as it promotes functional movement and builds strength,’ Trina says.

Caitrin has also supported Trina with additional special leave requests, so she can attend specialist appointments, scans and tests, without running out of sick leave.

‘Caitrin is more than an OT, or an ESS consultant, she’s a counsellor, a confidante, a friend, a sounding board, and she is invaluable in enabling me to continue working full time,’ Trina says.

‘At one point, I was really stressed about something I couldn’t control and Caitrin said, “Sometimes when I get stressed, I stand back and ask myself – can I impact what is happening?”. She said if the answer is no, she pictures a car going past and picking up the problem and taking it away. I’ve started employing that technique and it’s really helped.’

Trina says without the support she has received from MS Plus ESS, she would not have been able to keep working full time.

‘Ultimately MS has taught me that I alone am responsible for my health. Specialists, and my other supports such as Caitrin, can give me advice or direction but it is up to me to follow that. Read, read, read, and be proactive in your approach to MS. That will look very different for different people. Ask yourself, who are the people that support you most?

‘Caitrin is next level good at giving me perspective, challenging my thinking in a productive way, and providing strategies to deal with anxiety and work stress. She really is exceptional,’ Trina says.

MS Plus can support you with strategies to manage your symptoms and succeed at achieving your goals. To access our Plus Employment Support Service, phone Plus Connect 1800 042 138 or email connect@msplus.org.au