Mature Workers and Technology

Posted by suzanne  on Dec 27, 2020

Baby Boomers are embracing and using technology during the pandemic. Digital technology makes life easier and helps us manage daily activities better during Covid-19.

Not only are Boomers using technology. A new study indicates that Boomers have adopted innovative and time saving technologies such as virtual medical appointments and curbside pick up at a rapid pace compared to pre-Covid. These findings can help change perceptions about Boomers ignoring technological innovation being slow to accept new technology. The findings prove that Boomers are using technology and adapting their lives.

Innovation happens quickly and it is true that the digital technology available today was not available a couple of decades ago. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that Baby Boomers are the generation who had to adapt to rapid technological change as computers entered the workplace. The reality is that technological advances were made across all industries impacting Boomers and their work.

This survey indicates that Boomers are adopting new technology faster than expected. Good on them for proving people wrong!

Virtual Redirection Workshops

Posted by suzanne  on Nov 29, 2020

Are you on the cusp of retirement and longing for structure, a sense of purpose, and fulfillment?

As individuals approach retirement, they realize how much they get from their paid work just by going to work. Work provides structure to their day, mental stimulation, social interaction and friendships, self-worth and self-esteem, and a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

Dr. Cook studies second and third careers among people age 50 and over. She coined the term redirection to refer to this emerging stage of career.

Are you ready to make a change? Need some help identifying career opportunities?

Dr. Cook provides workshops focused on the redirection transition to organizations and mature workers across Canada. Based on demand, she is offering virtual career redirection workshops.

Redirection Workshops will provide participants with the following:

1. What is the redirection process?
2. Where do I start?
3. What have other people done during their redirection?
4. What can I do to make this transition easier?

What’s your Redirection? For more information, contact Dr. Cook at Suzanne (at) carpevitam.ca. Please put ‘workshops’ in the subject line.

Aging Workforce and Policy

Posted by suzanne  on Nov 28, 2020

I think it is timely to repost this blog from a few years ago. These key issues remain.

The population is aging in Canada as the baby boomer generation approaches and enters their later years. In a similar vein, the Canadian labour force is aging.

The aging population and labour force affect the Canadian economy. Policy makers, economists and government are concerned about how this will impact the economy.

Canada’s population growth is dependent upon the fertility rate, death rate and rate of immigration. Fertility rates have decreased over the decades as women have fewer children. Canadians are living longer. Immigration policy in Canada aims to bring more people into the country who can contribute to productivity and growth and compensation for the low fertility rate to keep the economy strong.

However, government, policy makers and economists do not fully recognize that older workers are eager to work and continue to work, in order to contribute to their communities. Older workers are skilled and experienced workers. They have communication, interpersonal and problem solving skills and have developed their ability to work with others. All of these skills are essential in the workplace today.

Organizational Level

As the populations ages and the workforce becomes older, all levels of society are impacted by demographic change. Importantly, this impacts organizations who are worried about a chronic labour shortage resulting from a rapidly aging population. Organizations have identified skill shortages in different roles across various industries. This is a top priority for business leaders.

Around the globe, other countries are innovating to address these concerns. These countries believe that the best way to adopt a successful aging strategy is to realize that aging is an opportunity.

One example is Japan, where policy makers have been steering the growing number of healthy 60- and 70 year olds away from retirement into work. These mature workers are taking on work roles and this makes them productive members of society. They hold jobs ”that otherwise would be impossible to fill as the population shrinks.”¹

Furthermore, an entrepreneurial focus on the aging demographic, with products and services to support aging, ensures that aging is a benefit that broader society can reap.

Although consumer spending growth overall is weak in Japan, economists at UBS Securities there say they believe the expansion of the senior market could more than offset any declines that come from a shrinking population, at least for a time.²

 

For Japan, the way forward is clear. For more, visit Aging Gracefully in the Wall Street Journal.

Footnotes:

¹ Schlesinger, J. M. & Martin, A. (2015). Entrepreneurs are exploring robotics and other innovations to unleash the potential of the elderly. Aging Gracefully: Graying Japan Tries To Embrace the Golden Years.
² Ibid.

Freedom of R & R, or to Continue Working

Posted by suzanne  on Apr 12, 2017

Later life has changed

There is a realignment of work and retirement in society as the population ages. It is a growing trend. Older adults are continuing to work past traditional retirement age.

CBC’s The National followed a couple of Canadians as they reflected on their decision to keep working into their later years. They found work opportunities for their ‘next act’ that help generate an income and maintain their lifestyle. Furthermore, their work is personally fulfilling and meaningful to their community.

Benefits go beyond the paycheque; working keeps people active and engaged. It was also nice to hear another perspective on the benefits of hiring mature workers.

I coined the term redirection to refer to the new stage of career as people transition into new pursuits and occupation to stay engaged and continue to work. Redirection is an alternative to retirement. It is an exciting time of life. New possibilities are investigated and explored. Older adults discover that their skills and competencies are transferable. My new documentary film explores five people’s experiences with redirection.

CBC News discusses the trend towards delayed retirement. Provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are already rethinking and implementing policy to address this new trend.

It is time to rethink government policy to consider the ways people are and can work longer and what this means for social structures and institutions in Canada.

Financial Gerontology

Posted by suzanne  on Nov 30, 2015

A few people have asked me about the term ‘Financial Gerontology’.

As a field, gerontology (the study of aging) consists of many disciplines such as health, psychology, sociology, education, law and political science, to name a few. It is interdisciplinary in nature.

Gerontologists work on both micro and macro levels. Certainly, financial issues come into play at a societal (e.g. socio-economic issues and social policy) level as well as at the individual level (e.g. later life work and income, wealth generation and savings, financial management, etc.).

Financial gerontology is the study of aging and the related financial, business and economic issues. This emerging field developed when this term was first coined in 1988.

Traditionally, the financial aspects of aging have been a bit on the periphery within the study of aging, a part of gerontology and issues of aging, but not in the forefront. Regardless, financial and economic issues, including later life work and employment, poverty and low-income seniors, pension plans and retirement savings, are linked to gerontology and a part of the field of gerontology. These are important personal and public policy issues.

In this low-growth, economically sluggish climate, I predict that all of these issues will become increasingly important to society as well as to gerontologists and the older adults they study and serve.

More on this topic is available here:

http://planetlongevity.com/2015/11/murky-waters-in-an-aging-world-fusion-and-confusion-of-terminology-part-1/

A Holistic Approach to Healthy Aging

Posted by suzanne  on May 10, 2015

This spring, it is a great pleasure to announce that I am the in-house gerontologist on the new weekly show called Making Our Seniors Matter launched May 4th, 2015 on ListenUp Talk Radio where my interview focused on a holistic approach to healthy aging. While this show will cover a range of topics of broad interest in the daily lives of seniors, it seems perfectly fitting to open with this holistic view.

Over the next thirteen weeks, the Why Our Seniors Matter show will feature many practical matters from finance to fitness, but they all tie in to one or more of the eight aspects of the holistic healthy aging – social, cognitive, physical, psychological, spiritual, purposeful work, financial and environmental.

Through my work as a gerontologist and educator, my focus has been on supporting a new vison of aging – healthy aging that is not only out of concern for the old but also for their families. This makes all this truly an “inter-generational” new vision.

As I mentioned in the Talk Radio interview, there are gaps in how we provide information on aging matters directly to seniors in the community, and there will be a growing demand on family members of all ages to become an integral part of that information food chain as the aging demographic curve rises over the next two decades.

Furthermore, we require new ways of providing information and resources to those who need it. Communities and municipalities as well as businesses serving seniors can do a lot to shape the way information about seniors’ services and resources is presented. Lack of awareness is one issue, but it is equally important that we have timely information provision.

Many older adults have complex needs and the best way to meet them is to enhance information, including knowledge of resources and tools. Provision of better information is a key way to build an age-friendly society.

Coming up in June is Seniors’ Month in Ontario. This is a great reason to enhance information and communication services focused on older adults and their family members.

A version of this blog was posted on the Planet Longevity website and on my LinkedIn profile.