workforce

En español |  Don’t expect boomers to jump into retirement and pursue a life of full-time leisure. Once they leave the workforce, many of them want to, well, continue working — often in an entirely new field.

Thanks to the determination of millions of hardworking Americans, our economy has come a long way since the financial crisis seven years ago. Our businesses have created more than 12.8 million new jobs over 64 straight months — the longest streak on record. Our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high. More Americans are finishing college than ever before. And more than 16 million additional Americans have health care — and the uninsured rate is the lowest on record.

AARP has always believed in the value of older workers, that they can be a genuine asset in the workplace. Now we have new evidence to back that up. In the wake of the Great Recession, we took a fresh look at data about hiring and retaining workers who are 50 and older. The AARP study, “ A Business Case for Workers Age 50+,” which came out just last month, not only confirmed earlier research but also indicated that today the case is even stronger for keeping older employees in the workforce.

President Barack Obama is moving quickly to make good on his pledge to create a new "starter" savings program for workers  without a retirement plan on the job.

There is an interesting posting on the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog that talks about older patients and sleep problems - and how those sleep problems aren't just something people have to deal with as they age. The article does say that aging does bring about changes in sleep patterns, but those changes often are related to chronic diseases - like diabetes and high blood pressure - that also happen to be more common as we age. Once those ailments are treated, so too are the sleep issues.