According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers ages 55 years and older make up 23.9 percent of the U.S. work force, and that number is likely to grow as more aging workers are delaying retirement, which is a challenge for employers.
With an older work force, employers face higher health care costs and disability claims, but employers can control this by implementing healthy aging programs, says Peter Saravis, CEO of Evive Health.
"Employers today have some kind of wellness program in place, but these programs will not achieve results if they are not engaging older adults to participate and to take responsibility for their health," Saravis says. "The key is to make sure the program addresses the needs of your most vulnerable populations, including older workers."
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With September marking national Healthy Aging Month, Evive Health suggests employers encourage participation from older adults by developing targeted communications that address their particular health issues. Chronic illnesses and related disabilities are more likely to affect older adults, but targeted wellness messages that focus on these conditions can encourage regular checkups and preventive measures.
Evive Health recommends telling employees what health precautions are needed with personalized messages that encourage action and using interactive decision-support tools to help individuals make purchasing and health commitments, such as appointment reminders. Employers should also identify possible engagement barriers, and track and refine messaging based on results, Evive Health says.
"Healthy Aging Month is a perfect time to remind older workers about the importance of health and wellness and to reassess your program's engagement capabilities," says Saravis. "The newest health engagement technologies can merge data mining with behavioral economics strategies to increase employee engagement by as much as 19 percent in the first year alone. These early health interventions can reap a lot of health savings over the long term."
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