As children head back to school in the coming days, now is a good time for their parents to look into the
possibility of continuing their own education with the financial support
of their employer. According to a July 2008 survey conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity in Seattle, 81% of survey participants reimburse employees for tuition and 92.5% of the large corporations (over 10, 000 people) pay for schooling. Many HR managers claim these educational reimbursement
Category Archives: News
Oldest Person Alive
The oldest person alive today is Edna Scott Parker (born April 20, 1893). This American supercentenarian entered the top 20 verified oldest people ever in June 2008. She replaced Yone Minagawa of Japan as the oldest person in the world (following his death on August 13, 2007) and Corinne Dixon Taylor of Washington, DC as the oldest person in America (following her death on February 14, 2007
Nursing Home Arbitration
The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act was passed by the House Judiciary Committee in July, moving it one step closer to becoming law. This bill prohibits the signing of an arbitration agreement as the only method of dispute resolution prior to nursing home admission, restoring a citizen’s right to seek justice in a law court once they have been admitted to a facility. These pre-admission agreements protect long-term care facilities from the consequences of allowing abuse
Happiness and Age
The Journal of Positive Psychology recently published the results of a multi-year study of 818 people between the ages of 18 and 94 into the origins of life satisfaction throughout adulthood. The research team’s findings indicated that:
- The key components of successful aging are not cognitive or physical functioning (older people tend to rate their happiness as high or higher than young people, in spite of medical concerns)
- Self-reported health is not a key predictor of satisfaction
- Knowledge, skills and experience required in life are not significantly associated with satisfaction
- The capacity to reason abstractly and draw inferences was a key predictor of satisfaction in younger and middle-aged adults (intelligence is highly valued when one is still in the workforce)
- Things that dissatisfy us the most remain constant
Lead author Karen Siedlecki, a post-doctoral research fellow in the cognitive neuroscience division at Columbia University, stated that, "The really key components of successful aging may be how happy you are
and how satisfied you are with your
Going to the Elders
Companies and organizations across North America are looking to retirees as part-time or temporary workers. Hewlett Packard is reaching out in a different way to capitalize on the power of its former employees. In this year’s annual gathering of HP retirees, chief executive Mark Hurd asked people to get involved
Brave Nation
Brave Nation, an interesting five-part documentary series about committed individuals—both young and old—who are changing the world, is now available for online viewing. Each documentary includes conversations about areas of common concern between two generations, and include these notable environmentalists, human rights activists, artists and journalists:
Pete Seeger with Majora Carter, Tom Hayden with Naomi Klein, Anthony Romero with Ava Lowery, Bonnie Raitt with Dolores Huerta, andCulture and Intergenerational Support
The Science Daily reports that cultural expectations impact the benefits of intergenerational support.
Intergenerational Support and Depression Among Elders in Rural China: Do Daughters-In-Law Matter?, a study published in the July 2008 Journal of Marriage and Family, stated that in the province of Anhui in rural China, assistance from daughters-in-law with household chores
Boomers Tackling Malaria
Bill Gates, Nobel-prize winner Dr. Peter Agre, and management consultant Rob Mathers have taken on ‘encore’ careers focused on tackling malaria. According to Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life, sees the last few decades of our life as a new life stage, one in which
Not So Different Online
According to a new study released by the Center for the Digital Future and AARP, Americans 50+ are closing the digital divide with online behaviors similar to much younger users (those under 20). Older citizens not only use websites for information, but they also use social networking, gaming and news channels in ever-increasing numbers. Key findings of the study include:
=&0=&. More than twice as many 50+ Americans than users under 20 check news online (42% compared to 18%) =&1=&. More older users log in daily or several times a day (58% vs. 47%). Forty-six percent of users under 50 and users over 70 use the internet to maintain their social relationships. Seventy percent of members 50+ and 58% of members under 20 reported their online communities were very or extremely important to them. =&2=&Working to Die
The Japanese Labour Board ruled earlier this month that the death in January 2006 of a 45-year-old senior Chief Engineer on the Toyota Camry Hybrid Project was "karoshi" (death by overwork). He had been working more than 80 hours of overtime a month, including evenings and weekends, and making frequent business trips overseas. He died of a heart attack the day before he was to travel to the Detroit Auto Show to promote the hybrid car. Toyota has issued a statement that it would step