Perspectives: Aligning Business Needs with Older Workers\u27 Preferences and Priorities

Perspectives: Aligning Business Needs with Older Workers’ Preferences and Priorities An Issue Brief Prepared by Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes and Michael A. Smyer for What An Aging Workforce Can Teach Us About Workplace Flexibility July 18, 2005

Legal and Research Summary Sheet: Phased Retirement

During the first decade of the 21st century, significant attention has been paid to the widely anticipated retirement of the Baby Boom generation from the U.S. workforce. Employers and policymakers have considered important questions such as: What percentage of older workers are likely to retire on a full-time basis between the ages of 62-65? What might the implications of a “mass exodus” of Baby Boomers mean for different types of businesses? Which types of policies and practices might encourage some older workers to extend their labor force participation, thereby enabling employers to retain the knowledge and skills of these experienced workers? Of course, older workers are also engaged in conversations about workplace innovations that might offer them more employment and employment-to-retirement choices. Surveys consistently find that older workers (particularly those aged 50 and older) plan to work past the traditional retirement ages of 62-65 years. However, the majority of older workers indicate that they would prefer not to work on a full-time or year round basis. As indicated by Figure 1 below, a recent Merrill Lynch Survey conducted by Harris Interactive & Dychtwald (2006) found that 38% of Baby Boomers would like to be able to cycle in and out of work

The Differential Usage of Services by Impaired Elderly

Why do some clients use institutional services, while other, with comparable impairment, use community based services? To answer this question, a matching procedure paired clients from the two types of service provision. Sixty-six clients, ages 62 and over, were matched for functional ability as rated on a 6-item ADL scale (Katz, et al., 1970). A discriminant function analysis was performed, with the setting of service provision as the criterion variable. The results indicated that the institutional group was more likely than their community counterparts: (a) to have had previous service contact with other service providers; (b) to have less support available within the community setting from family members or friends; (c) to be more impaired in the areas of mental health and social resources

Working With Families of Impaired Elderly

In this article, several approaches to working with the complexity of family relationships in later adulthood are described. Basic information on family forms and the pattern of family support for older adults is discussed. In addition, several examples of interventions with family members of older adults are reviewed. The goal of these activities is to increase the range of options available to older adults and their family caregivers

Mental Health and Aging: Progress and Prospects

This volume originally appeared as an issue of the ASA journal, Generations. It contains contributions by prestigious writers in the field of gerontology, who present current concepts in research and clinical practice on mental health and aging. This book provides the latest perspectives on assessment and prevention techniques, depressive and anxiety disorders, the aging brain and neuroimaging, family therapy, and adult day care

Nursing Homes as a Setting for Psychological Practice: Public Policy Perspectives.

Recent federal legislation has provided renewed interest in improving the quality of nursing home care. The lack of both funding and personnel are significant barriers that may keep psychology\u27s disciplinary expertise from being fully used in nursing homes. Nursing homes may be forced to undertake mandated activities (e.g., preadmission screening, nurses aides\u27 training, and evaluation) without psychologists\u27 expertise, relying either on medical practitioners with little knowledge of mental health interventions or on minimally qualified, entry-level mental health workers. Advocates for improved nursing home care must see the links among basic disciplinary skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improved care for mentally impaired elderly individuals

Aging and Social Policy: Contrasting Western Europe and the United States

In this essay, three generic issues that underlie our implicit social policy toward older adults and their families are considered: What is the proper division of responsibility for impaired elderly between family members and the state? Is age a morally relevant variable when allocating the resources of society? What should be the balance of competing demands between and among different generations? These issues are considered by contrasting the implicit and explicit policies of the United States with those of several Western European nations (Sweden, West Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands). Suggestions for a family-centered policy on aging are offered. In addition, indications for the appropriate blend of age and need as entitlement criteria are presented

Life Transitions and Aging: Implications for Counseling Older Adults

Presents a conceptual framework for counseling older adults and their families, asserting that the pace of development varies across individuals and that within the same individual, different biological and psychological functions age at different rates. The normative changes of aging can be viewed as life-event/life-transition processes and categorized into 4 interrelated major areas: biological, psychological, environmental, and social/cultural. The counselor\u27s tasks include assisting the older client in differentiating the normal aging process from abnormal processes, assessing the role of self-labeling and stereotyping, and focusing on preventive work with older adults and their families