For the first gentleman, his key aim centred around his need to be able to get back to caring for and playing with his son.
Our support over several months included a course of structured counselling to help him to come to terms with the loss of his good health, techniques for managing his fatigue, provision of aids to help him in the kitchen and a perching stool, as well as information on a local support group for younger stroke victims.
For the second gentleman, getting back to work was the key driver, he felt a strong loss of identity and had very low self-confidence. As his speech was affected, we regularly spoke to his wife and communicated with him by email.
We sourced speech and language therapy quickly and researched additional neuro-physiotherapy services.
Through our long-term support, we helped him to become more confident, develop coping strategies to deal with his reduced mobility and residual speech impairment and after a few months, he was able to make a successful return to work in an adjusted role.
These instances highlight the importance of communicating the support services available to individual clients, and encouraging corporate clients with group protection schemes in place, to make sure staff members are aware of how they can be helped back to health, wellness and the workplace.
Summary
There is a wide range of added-value support services available, but few offer the personalised support tailored specifically to the unique needs of each individual. So it is important for advisers to promote these and communicate the support that is available and explain what it does.
This is so powerful, adding real tangible value to customers and their families, which in turn builds trust and loyalty for the insurer or employer.
It is not unusual for us to hear how much people value the way our nurses take time to understand what people really need when others have not, so they get the most relevant support.
This directly leads to quicker and better outcomes, for both individuals and for those covered by group protection schemes in the workplace.
Christine Husbands is managing director for RedArc
