Supporting cancer recovery and return to work through personalised occupational therapy
With increasing cancer survival rates, insurers are exploring ways to support recovery beyond treatment. In this article, Hannover Life Re of Australasia Ltd. and Selsus present the results of a pilot conducted with an insurance client. The pilot tested a personalised cancer survivorship programme involving 10 participants, designed to improve wellbeing, enable people with longer term symptom burden to live better, and support sustainable return-to-work outcomes.
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Background
Advances in cancer detection and treatment are improving survival rates globally. However, for many survivors, completing treatment marks the beginning of a new set of challenges. Fatigue, cognitive difficulties, reduced confidence, psychological impacts, and workplace reintegration can all affect recovery and quality of life.
These challenges can also have implications for insurers, particularly where disability, income protection, rehabilitation, or return-to-work outcomes are important. Traditional claims support models may not fully address the broad and individualised needs of cancer survivors, who all live with varied cancer types, stages and individual personal circumstances.
Recognising this opportunity, Selsus, Hannover Life Re of Australasia Ltd and our insurance client collaborated on a pilot programme designed to provide structured, personalised support to individuals living with and recovering from cancer treatment.
Description of solution
The pilot delivered a personalised cancer supportive care programme tailored to each participant's level of need. A small selection of ten individuals was recruited and provided with varying levels of occupational therapy support, ranging from four sessions for lower-needs participants to eight sessions for participants requiring more intensive assistance.
The programme focused on four key objectives:
- Improving wellbeing and functional capacity following cancer treatment.
- Addressing participant-defined recovery concerns using the MYCAW (Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing) framework.
- Building health and digital literacy to support self-management.
- Facilitating sustainable return-to-work outcomes aligned with individual capacity.
Occupational therapists worked closely with participants to identify priorities, develop personalised strategies, monitor progress, and provide practical support throughout recovery.
"I was connected to a very knowledgeable occupational therapist who helped me get my life back physically, mentally, and socially."
Results
The pilot demonstrated encouraging outcomes across multiple dimensions important to both participants and insurers.
Using the MYCAW framework, 90% of participants experienced improvement in at least one recovery concern, while 80% reported improvement across both identified concerns. Improvements were observed in the issues participants themselves considered most important to their recovery.
Wellbeing scores also improved, with 70% of participants reporting better wellbeing during the programme. Participants additionally demonstrated strong gains in both health and digital literacy, supporting greater confidence in managing their recovery and engaging with health resources. 80% achieved high health literacy scores and 80% achieved high digital literacy scores by programme completion.
Importantly, these improvements were associated with progress toward employment outcomes. 70% of participants achieved either a full or partial return to work, with those achieving return-to-work outcomes consistently demonstrating reductions in MYCAW problem scores and improvements in wellbeing and literacy.
Participant satisfaction was exceptionally strong, with all participants rating the programme as excellent and stating they would recommend it to others.
"The programme was designed around what matters most to each participant. By focusing on individual recovery goals and practical strategies, we were able to support meaningful and measurable progress."
Implementation & process considerations
Insurers considering similar programmes should assess the availability of occupational therapy expertise, claims and rehabilitation pathways, and return-to-work support structures within their market. Success is likely to be enhanced where programmes are tailored to individual needs, integrated into existing claims processes, and supported by strong participant engagement.
A pilot approach allows insurers to evaluate outcomes, participant acceptance, operational requirements, and return-on-investment before broader implementation.
How Hannover Re can support you
Hannover Re can support insurers in evaluating cancer survivorship and rehabilitation opportunities, sharing pilot learnings, facilitating introductions to solution partners, assessing potential business value, and exploring how similar programmes may complement existing protection and claims offerings.
Drawing on our global experience across diverse insurance markets, we can also help adapt programme concepts to local healthcare systems, regulatory environments, and customer needs.
As cancer survival rates continue to improve, insurers have an opportunity to extend support beyond treatment and help individuals achieve meaningful recovery outcomes. Survivorship programmes can enhance the customer experience, create additional value for policyholders, and help insurers differentiate their offering in an increasingly competitive market. Contact your Hannover Re representative to learn more about the pilot findings and explore how similar survivorship programmes could support your customers and business objectives.
Disclaimer:
The information presented in this case study, as well as in any other descriptions of projects or cooperations, is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, regulatory guidance, medical advice, or any form of professional advisory service. To avoid any wording that could be interpreted as implying medical effectiveness, this document must not be understood as containing, asserting, or suggesting any medical efficacy claims. Nothing in this document shall be construed as a legally binding offer to enter into any contract or agreement of any kind. All results, performance indicators, and outcome descriptions reflect the specific conditions and parameters of the referenced project(s) or product launch(es). They are not guarantees, promises, or assurances of comparable or future performance in any other context. No warranty is given – whether express or implied – particularly that comparable or similar results can or will be achieved elsewhere. Any potential success of comparable initiatives critically depends on the lawful and compliant ability to contact policyholders, including the validity of any required consent under the applicable legal framework. All third‑party entities mentioned in this document, including insurtech companies, are independent businesses and operate separately and autonomously from Hannover Re. Their services, solutions, or technologies are neither endorsed nor guaranteed by Hannover Re and are subject to their own terms and conditions, unless explicitly stated otherwise. References to third‑party trademarks or brands are made solely for descriptive purposes and remain the property of their respective owners. No affiliation, sponsorship, approval, or endorsement by those owners is implied. Statements in this document regarding benefits, compliance requirements, risks, risk assessments, or business cases are based on our subjective experience, judgment, or interpretation. They do not replace - and must not be relied upon as a substitute for - independent assessment, verification, or due‑diligence activities by customers or other stakeholders. In particular, all aspects relating to data protection requirements (including but not limited to GDPR considerations) and AI‑related regulatory obligations must be independently assessed, verified, and evaluated by interested parties in light of their own legal and operational frameworks. The use of the terms such as “partner” or “partnered” without further qualification solely indicates that we cooperated on specific activities or exchanges with third parties; it does not imply a legal partnership, joint venture, affiliation, or any form of shared corporate structure. Each party acts independently and on its own behalf. Hannover Re and/or affiliated companies of the Hannover Re Group assume no liability for the accuracy, completeness, or future applicability of the information provided in this document.
