ABSTRACT
Employment can make a signi®cant contribution to people's sense of well-being (C.R. Scott 2006). Having a job can enhance selfcon®dence and provide a valued role in today's society. Before their haemorrhage, most middle-aged or younger people will have been in full-or part-time paid employment so `When can I go back to work?' is likely to be a very common question. At the time of the haemorrhage some people may have been in full-time work for many years, so the abrupt (even though often temporary) cessation of a key element in their day-to-day life can be dif®cult, as KarenAnn found:
Going back to work was a big goal . . . I was desperate to go
back to work because that was part of being `normal'. I'd
always worked and not working was really quite hard. Not
getting up in the morning and going to work! That's the only
time I've ever had off work; I'd had a couple of days here and
there and leave . . . So going back to work was it and I really
liked my job. I really wanted to go back and do what I did.
