HELP women who have had breast cancer to re-enter the world of work. This is the objective of the Return to work project which will involve some patients in the Fermo area, in the Marche region. An objective pursued in a very practical and direct way: thanks to “work grants” that will allow some patients to have paid employment in companies in the Fermo area, and through training and counseling activities. In the Marche region every year over 1,300 women get breast cancer and in about half of the cases the diagnosis is made at working age.
The full name of the program is “Return to work: occupational therapies and integrated support for women with a history of breast cancer”, and is promoted by the Oncology Clinic of the Polytechnic University of Marche (Univpm) together with Area Vasta 4 in Fermo and a qualified network of organizations, such as the Semper Odv association and the Compagnia delle Opere. The project will be fully financed by the Marche Region with a dedicated European Social Fund (it is possible to submit applications to participate until 23 December 2021, by filling out the form at this address and sending it to [email protected]) .
Return to work will initially involve 12 women who will be employed in the companies for 9 months, and another 20 women (already employed) who, together with the former, will be able to access free training activities (English and IT courses, soft training skills, self-esteem, but also oncology). Participants will also be supported from a psychological point of view. “Personal care must be understood as an integrated and complex process, which places not only medical care but also the social and working needs of patients in the foreground”, explains Mauro Silvestrini, president of the Univpm Faculty of Medicine.
According to a research conducted by the Bologna Ausl together with the Onconauti association on 841 patients (average age 51 years), at the time of the survey 301 were not employed, while 540 were (64.2%). Of these, 503 (93.1%) returned to work after the surgery while 37 (6.9%) did not return. Of those who returned, 56 (11%) then left their jobs, while 447 (88.9%) still work. “These data show how relevant it is to take global care of patients that goes beyond treatment, starting right from job placement”, says Rossana Berardi, Professor of Oncology at Univpm and Director of the Oncology Clinic of the Ospedali Riuniti University Hospital of Ancona. : “The aspect linked to work is fundamental in the reintegration of women affected by cancer into the social context. This is true for those who have recovered, but also for those who still live clinically with the disease and can still do a job. Furthermore, since it is an innovative project, its value grows not only in the sense of training women but also of research. Finally, an applause goes to the Marche Region which believed in the project by supporting that part of the female world forced to compete with such a delicate and complex battle “.
“A strong synergy between various bodies and institutions has materialized, aimed at the well-being of women with breast cancer”, adds Roberto Grinta, Director of Area Vasta 4: “The Return to work project can boast a qualified network of expert organizations, the Region Marche sensed its value, guaranteeing its financing. The vast Area 4 Asur is proud to support this concrete support for women who are facing a particularly delicate moment in their lives “.
Even today, the diagnosis of cancer often results in the loss of a job, even more so if we are talking about women. “The project that will allow participants to acquire those skills and knowledge that today are indispensable for those who want to enter the job market or want to complete that training path necessary for job growth”, comments Renato Bisonni, Uoc Director of Medical Oncology, Murri Civil Hospital of Fermo, Vast Area 4.
Over the years, the European Social Fund has allocated many resources for social and work inclusion interventions generally aimed at the most vulnerable sections of the population. “With the RTW project there is a unique opportunity to design in this field, because the concept of vulnerability is overturned”, underlines Sabrina Petrelli ASUR Sociologist Area Vasta 4 – project coordinator for Area Vasta 4: “We aim, in fact, on the enhancement and recovery of the potential of people, in this case women with breast cancer histories, who have had a difficult path from a strictly clinical point of view and who have a chance to return to their life balance through what are defined ‘determinants of health‘, work, training and attention to relationships, precisely those dimensions that are not always fully liveable by women ”.
At the beginning, there will be some cognitive interviews “Our task starts with guidance counseling activities, which will be followed by individual interviews with the assessment of the skills of each candidate”, explains Maria Giovanna Cicconi, Project Manager of the Cdo Marche Sud: “Then , there will be real ‘matching’ with companies, followed by a constant presence, to ensure the satisfaction and success of the candidates inserted in the company “. The Semper Onlus, on the other hand, will make psycho-oncology, photo-art-therapy and dance-movement-therapy specialists available. “We will also participate in multidisciplinary research aimed at the Integrated support of women belonging to the Oncology Clinic of Ancona”, concludes Marco Romeo, President of Semper Onlus ODV.
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