Purple Co – in the beginning

Did you know that Purple Co is the amalgam of Purpose for People?

Back in 2009 when it became obvious to me that I was passionate about helping people make their wor, work well, I went about creating a business name that captured what I knew to be at the core of all good rehabilitation.

That being – People matter

What I had also discovered in the previous 10 years of working as a Consultant Rehabilitation Counsellor was that when people were able to be reconnected to a sense of purpose, they found it somewhat easier to make decisions about working.

Decision like –

• Is work the right thing for me?
• How do I fit into the world of work now?
• How does work help me be the person I want to be?

What I know to be true is that many of us fall into a job, a career or a life role without a conscious decision being made.  And when our work, career or life role is taken away from us – this is when we start to take notice of the questions about purpose, identity and meaning.

 

All of us here at Purple Co believe with every fibre of our being that good work is good for us.  We have been frustrated, annoyed, and sometimes downright angry that we see people not receiving the types of support they need to make informed decisions about their work and their life, knowing that the future is more ill health, social isolation, longer unemployment and relationship breakdown.

Please do not mis read what I am writing here to say – please give all the people all the things they want.  No, understand this we are very much about personal reasonability and accountability.

 

We are also about making sure that people receive the information about how to make work work for them in a way that makes sense. And that is not something that can be prescribed.  It is however teachable, through effective coaching, where we can help people make informed choices about how they want to be now and moving forward.

 

In 2018, iCare came to us and ask us for assistance in meeting the needs of a population of injured workers who were not making the kinds of gains that were medically expected.  These people are known in the jargon as “significantly injured”.

 

In July of 2019 we started working with these people, providing a coaching approach to learning how to make back control of their life again, so that they can

1. Reduce reliance on narcotic medication. One client in less than 8 weeks halved the amount of narcotic medication he was using and had been using for 10 years, while increasing the amount of hydrotherapy he was doing.
2. Reduce, or even cease ineffective treatment. Once client stopped physiotherapy, saving the scheme approximately $37K over the next 15 years.
3. Ask for help with activities of daily living that have been ignored for years. We have had clients who have not shared a bed with their life partners for 10 years + who are now sharing this often taken for granted experience.
4. Address anger, irritability and frustration. We have had clients who have gone from angry and hostile with a reputation for being “difficult” to the point where agent case managers are thanking us for helping them to communicate and effectively express their needs.
5. Increase social connections and re-engage in community activities. A couple who were only ever leaving the house to attend medical appointments have now re engaged in their faith-based community and have a weekly coffee date with another couple.

 

You might be forgiven for thinking, that’s all very nice but how about getting these people back to work? The issues here are

• Many of these people have not worked for 10 years or more.
• Many of these people do not have skills transferable to alternative employment.
• Many of these people live in communities with high unemployment.
• Many of these people are over the age of 55.

So, employment, while the GREAT ideal is not always the most meaningful way to help a person with their recovery right now.

We also know that these people add to the burden of scheme expense for their life.  We see our role to help reduce this burden, in the long term.

By helping people take back control of their health, their life, their choices and by helping people take responsibility for the decisions they make today.

The great news is, that the Purpose for People program is not only available to significantly injured workers on the iCare scheme.  We can deliver this program to any person who wants to be empowered to make choices and be supported in knowing how to do so.

 

This program can be delivered face to face, via telephone or via video conference.

 

You can learn more about the program on our website or by following this link  https://purpleco.com.au/purpose-for-people-program/

 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, please reach out to us here at Purple Co