Aging and Work

Improvements in health care and quality of life in recent years have led to a marked aging of the world's population, especially in well-developed regions. In the near future, this problem will spread to developing countries. The growing need to promote the health and function of aging workers presents new challenges as well as new opportunities. This book examine methods for diagnosing and evaluating work ability/employability in response to the changing capacity of employment. Derived from a Conference on Aging and Work, held in Japan in September 2001, the book examines issues addressed by occupational health professionals to improve the work ability of elderly employees, and discusses measures to promote their employment. Aging and Work will be of particular interest to professionals and students in the fields of occupational health, ergonomics, mechanical engineering, work physiology and industrial psychology.

Changes of the Work Ability Index of Aging Workers related to the Participation in the Activities for Promoting Health and Work Ability: A 3-Year Program. Maintaining the Work Ability of Kitchen Workers. The Strict Agricultural Products Standard and the Difficulty of Agricultural Work for Aged Workers. A Study on the Usability of Mobile Phones for the Elderly. Health Status and Lifestyles of Elderly Japanese Workers. A Continuous Exercise Time and Psych-Physiological Reaction for a Suitable Prescriptive Exercise Program. The Effect of Aging on Lipid Metabolism and Aerobic Ability. The Study of the Work Accidents in the Fishery Industry. Renal Function Decline in Aged Workers Enhances Toxic Effect of Occupational Chemicals. Post-Polio Fatigue and Aging: A New Problem at Workplaces in Japan. Japanese Initiatives on Aging and Work: An Occupational Ergonomics Approach to Solving this Complex Problem. Occupational Gerontology: The Science Aimed at Older Employees. Promotion of Work Ability during Aging. Functional Fitness: Encouraging Human Struggle (Physical Activity) and Warning about the Cost of Technology. The Role of the Psychological Environment in Promoting the Health and Performance of Older Workers. Company Level Strategies for Promotion of Well-Being, Work Ability and Total Productivity. Developing a New Work System for Elderly Workers. Employment of the Elderly in Korea. The Theory and Practice of Work Re-Design in a Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Industry in an Aging Society. Occupational Activity and Aging. The Anthropometric Data of the Aging Workers in Taiwan. Survey of Prospects for Elderly Care Workers. Work Situation Evaluation as a Prerequisite for Productive Aging of Engineers and Innovators. Intergenerational Relations at Work in Sweden and the UK. A Work - Family Balance Approach to Research on Late Career. Work Climate and the Age-Hostile Workplace. Terminology of Aging used in Legislation and Government Policy. For Whom is a Disabled Pension a Good Solution when Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevent Work. The Management of Work-Related Stress with Regards to the Health of Older Workers. Characteristics and Perspectives of Occupational Accidents Involving Aged Workers in Korea. Development of a Work Support Tool for the Old with Work Postures as an Index. Measures for Healthy Aging: Lifestyle and Exercise. Age-conscious Personnel Policies and Productive Aging. Maintaining Work Ability of Elderly Workers. Support Systems for Elderly Workers. Part 6. Occupational Accidents and Incidents.

Masaharu Kumashiro is Professor and Head of the Department of Ergonomics at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan. He is President of the Pan-Pacific Council of Occupational Ergonomics, President of the Society for Occupational Safety, Health and Ergonomics, Chair if the IEA Technical Committee for Safety and Health, and also Fellow of the Ergonomics Society. He has been a world leader in establishing the study of ergonomics within the field of occupational health, and plays the central role in the global network of researchers involved in Aging and Work