Monster Study Reveals Organizations Not Adequately Prepared for Impending Employee ''Brain Drain''

[26 September 2007 - Online Recruitment] US employers largely recognize they face an imminent worker shortage due to Baby Boomer retirements; however, few have a formal strategy in place to manage and retain worker knowledge, according to a survey released today by Monster. The corresponding report, titled "Building and Securing an Organizational Brain Trust in an Age of Brain Drain," reveals that only 12 percent of human resource managers report knowledge retention as a high priority within their organizations - despite the fact that one-third estimate 20 percent or more of their current workforce will be eligible for retirement over the next several years. Monster is the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. ... The study reveals that while HR managers recognize the looming issue of losing institutional knowledge due to retirement, many face barriers to establishing strategies and tactics that help preempt the problem. Key findings include:

• Turnover vs. Retirement: More firms perceive conventional turnover as a higher risk to losing organizational knowledge than loss due to retirement, as younger workers leaving an organization not only take away knowledge, but typically bring it to competitors.
• What You Can't Measure, You Can't Manage: Only 23 percent of firms report having a formal method to actually identify the knowledge that needs to be protected and retained.
• Proving ROI: 43 percent of respondents cite the ability to measure the ROI and effectiveness of a knowledge retention program as a chief stumbling block to implementing a formal strategy.
• Unmotivated Workers: Only one-third of firms report that their workers are rewarded or encouraged to share organizational knowledge with colleagues.
  

More

Robert Whitcomb: Aging with the arts

[14 September 2007 - Providence Journal] With the aging of the U.S. population, the specter of Alzheimer’s looms ever larger. After all, the fastest-growing cohort of the population is 85 and older. But we should not consider Alzheimer’s a problem only for people in their 60s and older. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 250,000 to 600,000 people in America have early onset of the disease. There are devastating cases affecting people in their 50s, 40s and even late 30s. This needs more attention from medical researchers. As often happens in medicine, treatment can come from strange places. For instance, a current study in the journal Neurology suggests that statin drugs, taken to ward off heart attacks in people with high cholesterol, can help to at least slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Consuming coffee, believe it or not, may also be helpful. New medications to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s are being investigated at Boston University ( www.bualzresearch.org; [617] 414-1078) and elsewhere. While we await medical breakthroughs, there are lifestyle actions that we can take to fend off dementia as long as we can and to help make patients’ lives comfortable. ... Another strategy is using the arts to retain, or reawaken, our core identities. In her book, I Remember Better When I Paint, Berna Huebner movingly describes, through the case of one patient, how some demented elderly people can be reconnected to themselves and their pasts with the help of art students who work with them in creating art. More

U.S. Life Expectancy Hits New High of Nearly 78 Years

[12 September 2007 - National Center for Health Statistics] A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years (77.9) – a new high – according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2005.” The report from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is based on approximately 99 percent of death records reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for 2005 and documents the latest trends in the leading causes of death and infant mortality. The increase in life expectancy represents a continuation of a long-running trend. Over the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75.8 years in 1995, and from 69.6 years in 1955. More

Fifty Plus -- Boomers Put Old on Hold

[12 September 2007 - Washington Post] Special section on aging, baby boomers, working, retirement, savings, health and more. More

Retiring an old notion: More Americans in their 60s, 70s staying employed, new census data shows

[11 September 2007 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] If you want an idealized glimpse of the American way of working into the golden years, meet Pat and Roger Benway of Shorewood. She's a social worker and case manager who helps elderly clients. He's a salesman. And they're both 66, with no plans to retire. "I'm the oldest guy in the company, and I'm proud of that position and ranking," says Roger Benway, who works full time for Berenz Packaging Corp. of Menomonee Falls. "I like wearing the crown." Apparently, a lot of other Americans are like the Benways, staying on the job a lot longer than in the past and rewriting the rules of work and retirement as they go. Nearly one in four Americans (23.2%) ages 65 to 74 was in the labor force in 2006, either working or looking for jobs, according to data to be released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. More

Can Exercises Help Us Hold On to Our Memories?

[3 September 2007 - Talk of the Nation - NPR] Doctors tell us to exercise our bodies, but what about our brains? Crosswords are said to help with memory, and new video games promise to give your mind a workout. Does any of it work? More