ABSTRACT

Making the Work Environment Age-Friendly The preceding chapters have presented general information and guidelines relevant to design for an aging population. We now turn to a discussion of the application of these principles and guidelines within the context of work and work environments. Recent analyses of demographic and workforce trends underscore the importance of designing work environments and work tasks to accommodate both younger and older workers. Because of a number of factors such as the declining proportion of younger workers, aging of the baby boomers, and projected shortages of skills in many work arenas, employers will increasingly need to turn to older workers to maintain a competitive edge.