The role of occupation and working in healthy ageing

Abstract

Work life can have a significant impact on ageing. Professor Harri Vainio, from the Finish Institute of Occupational Health, looks at what should be done to ensure that work promotes healthy ageing The importance of healthy ageing poses challenges to all European countries. By 2025 about one-third of Europe's population will be aged 60 years and over, and the number of people aged 80 years and over 1 will rise rapidly. This will have an enormous impact on European societies. While the demographic mechanisms driving this development - lower fertility rates and longer lifespans 2 - are well-known, knowledge regarding the impact of a person's work life and lifestyle on healthy ageing is still incomplete.3,4 Although the study of successful ageing requires that we take into account the entire life course, work life nonetheless has a significant influence on ageing, because careers today tend to be long. Healthy ageing can be promoted throughout work life by ensuring that work does not worsen illnesses or increase the probability of functional deficiency related to illnesses. Work must also support good cognitive and physical capacity, as well as an active attitude towards life in general.5 Investing in healthy ageing contributes to the labour supply, decreasing the likelihood of early retirement. Employers and employees need to take responsibility for the health of the older members of the workforce so that these can work until increasingly older ages. This can be achieved by, for example, improving mental, social and physical functional capacity and making age management everyday practice at workplaces. Investments in healthy ageing must be made throughout the entire work life,6 however the last few years of work may particularly affect a person's everyday life after retirement. Good work ability means good functional capacity and health, and leads to a better quality of life once retired. People are able to directly affect healthy, successful ageing to a greater extent than has been previously assumed. For example lifestyle factors, especially exercise, nutrition, and the ratio of rest to work all affect the health and functional capacity of older workers. The characteristics of the physical environment, work itself and working conditions, one's economic situation; services; social relationships; friends; society's attitudes; and social equity are also connected to healthy ageing.5, 9 Different combinations of work and lifestyle factors are becoming visible in the health and functional capacity of employees aged over 45 years. On the one hand, harmful exposure at work and a detrimental lifestyle will eventually cause ill health. On the other hand however, safe, rewarding work and a lifestyle that supports health ensures a healthy life course. Most of the workforce falls between these two extremes. The criteria for healthy ageing can be examined from the viewpoint of successful, regular, and pathological ageing. A study on the importance of age identification for healthy ageing showed that 'positive' people felt younger, and were happier with their chronological age than those classified as 'negative'. The younger the respondents felt, the higher they ranked their functional capacity.10 Employees' resources (health, functional capacity, competence, attitudes) change significantly during the life course. Working conditions cause many kinds of threats to health and functional capacity. There are significant differences in life expectancy, long-term illnesses, and exposure to accidents between different occupational groups. This may also be a result of lifestyle and heritage. Together these factors can even affect the differences in the mortality patterns of different occupational groups.11 Although perceived health problems generally increase with age both before and after retirement, they often decrease sharply between the year before and the year after retirement. …