NU Online News Service, April 8, 4:17 p.m.EDT

For the growing number of aging workers, employers should modifythe workplace, engage the workforce, institute wellness programs,and tailor jobs for older workers to avoid costly workers'compensation claims, a medical expert said.

Glenn Pransky, director of the Center for Disability Research,Liberty Mutual Research Institute, advised that employers shouldassess their workforce and pay particular attention to olderemployees forced by economics to keep working.

In a talk at a Liberty Mutual Webinar titled, "When I'm 64:Issues in Medical Management of the Aging Workforce," he explainedthat "older workers" are typically defined as 55 and older,although aging effects can be seen in manual laborers as early asage 40.

Mr. Pransky said the number of people over 55 is growing. Morethan 35 percent of all persons over 55 are currently working, hesaid, and over the next seven years that number will increase byanother third.

Reasons for the increase include baby boomers aging, increasesin retirement age, improved medical technology and decreasedretirement savings.

The aging process effects people differently, Mr. Pransky noted.Changes that are likely for most people include visualaccommodation, loss of hearing, increase in blood pressure, and adecrease in peak strength and aerobic capacity.

Effects that can vary depending on the person include theability to reason, think and remember; obesity; and chronicillness, Mr. Pransky said.

He said Bureau of Labor statistics show the injury rate per yearfor workers over 55 is half that of younger workers, as olderworkers tend to be safer, more experienced and better at avoidingrisk.

But accidents such as falls are more common for older workers.Additionally, if these workers have a fall, they are twice aslikely to have a fracture, Mr. Pransky said. Fatality risk from anaccident also increases with age, he said.

Mr. Pransky suggested assessing workers as a strategy forgetting a handle on workers' situations before an injuryoccurs.

All older workers are not the same, he noted, pointing to astudy in New Hampshire conducted by the Liberty Mutual ResearchInstitute, which sampled all workers over 55 that had workers' compclaims.

Mr. Pransky said older workers generally fall into threecategories: healthy survivors who are still successfully working intheir first career; post-retirement workers who changed careers;and trapped workers who want to retire but are financially unableto.

Post retirement workers, Mr. Pransky said, risk facing amismatch between their job and their capabilities, because they aretypically moving to a different industry with differentdemands.

Trapped workers tend to have a lower level of education andincome, and more chronic health problems that could complicateworkers' compensation claims.

Employers should particularly identify workers in this lastgroup, Mr. Pransky said, as marginal job performance anddifficulties on the job typically precede a workplace injury forthem.

Mr. Pransky said employers should develop a wellness program forolder workers that includes diet and exercise.

Additionally, he said training should be modified for theseworkers, as some older workers may need more repetition thanyounger workers when learning tasks and responsibilities.

Employers should also tailor jobs to aging workers by decreasingthe manual handling of heavy loads and ensuring a comfortableworking posture.

Post injury, Mr. Pransky said employers should capture the valueof the attachment older workers have to their jobs, which tends tobe greater than young workers. Employers should communicate earlyand often with an injured older worker, and also try to findalternate duties for him/her.

Craig Ross, regional medical director for Liberty Mutual Group,said an empathetic call from a supervisor could be invaluable to anolder worker.

Rehabilitation and re-training efforts should take into accountthe special needs of older workers, too, Mr. Pransky said.

As pre-existing injuries can complicate a workers' compensationclaim, Mr. Ross also said a thorough investigation of a workplaceaccident should be conducted so the employer can determine whathappened.