An Intervention to Support the Health and Work Ability of Unemployed People with Long-term Conditions – Clients’ Experiences

A 3-year multiprofessional intervention was carried out in Finland with 155 long-term unemployed people living with prolonged illness to support their health and work ability. The study aims at producing information that could be used to develop further interventions to support the unemployed individuals with long-term illness. Triangulation was used to collect data about how the participants experienced the intervention. According to the quantitative results of this study, the intervention increased participants’ experience of inclusion, and improved their emotional wellbeing and coping with daily activities. It had no immediate or extensive effect on the aspects of general life satisfaction and experienced health, functioning and work ability. The qualitative findings portrayed a positive image of the participant experiences; many of the participants had positive experiences concerning client-centredness, multiprofessional support, the flow of information between professionals and their involvement and agency in the intervention. They especially appreciated the individualized services and being treated with respect. The intervention forms a useful foundation for similar projects, especially if attention is paid to recruiting individuals with a realistic prospect of being employed. Collaboration between employment services and health services is required at the recruitment stage. Keywords: client, experience, intervention, unemployed, work ability