Should older adults who have been injured at work be encouraged to return to work?: A study on life satisfaction of older adults with experience in industrial accidents

Abstract

Work is generally defined as a positive factor in the lives of older adults. However, older adults who have experienced a industrial accidents need to also consider whether they want to work, as they face the double burden of disability and aging. Current rehabilitation services for injured workers focus on return to work without considering the life cycle. The purpose of the study was to determine whether returning to work affects life satisfaction in older adults and to discuss appropriate service directions. The data used to examine this are from the third year of the second cohort of the Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Participants were divided into three groups: Group 1 (under 55, 1,176 participants), Group 2 (from 55 to 64, 1,036 participants), and Group 3 (65 or older, 611 participants). Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the impacts of demographic variables (sex, marriage), care and health variables (treatment duration, self-rated health status, disability grade), economic variables (earned income, unearned income, employment status), rehabilitation service (vocational and psychosocial rehabilitation services), and psychosocial variables (self-esteem, social relationship) on life satisfaction. Returning to work and income were found to have no positive impacts on older adults’ life satisfaction. Better self-rated health, higher self-esteem, and good social relationships all had positive effects on life satisfaction among older adults. For the under-65 cohort, a number of factors contributed to life satisfaction, including income, employment, high self-esteem, etc. Indiscriminately encouraging injured older adults to return to work does not always make sense. There is a need to focus on sustainable health and psychosocial services in the community. This study demonstrates the importance of taking a non-work approach with injured older adults who have the dual characteristics of being both old and disabled.