Mobility and Aging in Denver, Colorado: Travel Behavior, Mobility Barriers, and Perceptions of Transit

The number of seniors in the U.S. today is growing rapidly because of longer life expectancies and the aging Baby Boomer generation. This age groups' travel behavior will have substantial impacts on transportation, economics, safety, and the environment. This research used a mixed-methods approach to address issues of mobility and aging in Denver, Colorado. A quantitative approach was used to answer broad questions about travel behavior and the effects of age, gender, work status, disability, residential location and socio-economic status on mobility. Qualitative interviews with seniors in the Denver metro area were conducted to identify barriers to mobility, decision-making processes and travel decisions, and seniors' perceptions of public transit. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses show that residential location is an important variable for determining seniors' travel behaviors and transportation options. Perceptions of public transit were positive, but accessibility and information barriers exist that prevent older adult from using transit. The findings of this study will help to provide transportation and service recommendations to policymakers and planners in the Denver area as well as to inform studies of other North American cities with large aging populations.

Looking Forward to a Dynamic Third Age - Comparative Survey Report

BALL (Be Active Through Lifelong Learning) is an Erasmus + project of the European Union with the chief objective of analysing the degree of Preparation for Retirement among European citizens. The team working for this project, funded by the EU, is composed by organizations with broad experience at work with the third age from three European countries, Poland, Iceland and Spain, and the results obtained from these three contexts aim to provide a clear picture about the state of the art in preparation for retirement nowadays. The main objective of the project is to develop innovative guidelines and recommendations for use at lifelong learning centres; universities; companies; unions; associations; local and regional authorities who need and wish to prepare and encourage individuals under their auspices to prepare for the third age. The project defines the age group of 50 to 70 (the “baby boomer” generation) as the target group for such early preparations. The project and its outcomes will be used to raise awareness of these important issues and disseminate the results throughout the European Educational Area and the worldwide U3A network.

Older Volunteers Participating in a University Research Registry: Helping Others My Age

This paper discusses a study that examined why older people volunteer for a research registry based at the University of Queensland, Australia. A mailed questionnaire was utilized to explore a list of reported motives developed from an in-depth qualitative phase. An exploratory factor analysis of the findings was conducted, which showed that there were four main motivations for respondents to volunteer in this context. These motives were to make a contribution to society and to research; to be involved in research; to meet others; and to be informed about the university environment. These findings show that older research volunteers have a strong interest in university research outcomes and demonstrate a commitment to aging productively. There are lessons here for researchers and policy-makers, who need to develop additional ways to involve older people in the research that affects them.

Editorial

This second issue of Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP) continues the international nature of the first issue, with papers from authors based on four different continents. There are five regular papers, plus the first of what is intended to be an occasional series of 'position papers' from respected figures in the knowledge management field, who have specific issues they wish to raise from a personal standpoint. The first two regular papers are both based on case studies. The first is 'Aggressively pursuing knowledge management over two years: a case study a US government organization' by Jay Liebowitz. Liebowitz is well known to both academics and practictioners as an author on knowledge management and knowledge based systems. Government departments in many Western countries must soon face up to the problems that will occur as the 'baby boomer' generation reaches retirement age over the next decade. This paper describes how one particular US government organization has attempted to address this situation (and others) through the introduction of a knowledge management initiative. The second case study paper is 'Knowledge creation through the synthesizing capability of networked strategic communities: case study on new product development in Japan' by Mitsuru Kodama. This paper looks at the importance of strategic communities - communities that have strategic relevance and support - in knowledge management. Here, the case study organization is Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), a Japanese telecommunication firm. The third paper is 'Knowledge management and intellectual capital: an empirical examination of current practice in Australia' by Albert Zhou and Dieter Fink. This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in 2001, exploring the practices relating to knowledge management and intellectual capital in Australia and the relationship between them. The remaining two regular papers are conceptual in nature. The fourth is 'The enterprise knowledge dictionary' by Stuart Galup, Ronald Dattero and Richard Hicks. Galup, Dattero and Hicks propose the concept of an enterprise knowledge dictionary and its associated knowledge management system architecture as offering the appropriate form of information technology to support various different types of knowledge sources, while behaving as a single source from the user's viewpoint. The fifth and final regular paper is 'Community of practice and metacapabilities' by Geri Furlong and Leslie Johnson. This paper looks at the role of communities of practice in learning in organizations. Its emphasis is on metacapabilities - the properties required to learn, develop and apply skills. This discussion takes work on learning and core competences to a higher level. Finally, this issue includes a position paper 'Innovation as an objective of knowledge management. Part I: the landscape of management' by Dave Snowden. Snowden has been highly visible in the knowledge management community thanks to his role as the Director of IBM Global Services' Canolfan Cynefin Centre. He has helped many government and private sector organizations to consider their knowledge management problems and strategies. This, the first of two-part paper, is inspired by the notion of complexity. In it, Snowden calls for what he sees as a 20th century emphasis on designed systems for knowledge management to be consigned to history, and replaced by a 21st century emphasis on emergence. Letters to the editor on this, or any other topic related to knowledge management research and practice, are welcome. We trust that you will find the contributions stimulating, and again invite you to contribute your own paper(s) to future issues of KMRP.

Employee Motivation: Effective Incentives Targeted at Keeping the Baby Boomers in the Workplace beyond Normal Retirement Age

The impending mass retirement of the Baby Boom generation in the United States may cause a drastic talent drain. Companies should pay attention to this upcoming problem now to alleviate an exodus by encouraging Baby Boomers to continue working past their normal retirement age. One solution is to offer them effective incentives. The most compelling incentives for Baby Boomers are the ability to choose their own hours (how many hours they wish to work, and when they wish to work them), the ability to telecommute from wherever they choose, and the offer of extra health care benefits.

The aging baby boom : implications for employment and training programs /

Prepared for the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under contract no. F-5532-5-00-80-30.

Generationsskillnader i arbetslivet: en kvalitativ studie med utgångspunkt från generation y

In previous studies research has shown that generation y experience resistance from older generations represented in the labor market in USA. The resistance is due to differences between the generations. On the other hand some studies say that differences are more likely to come from other factors such as gender and which stage in life the individual is in. The purpose of this study is to describe how (women in) generation y is experiencing the cooperation with colleagues from other generations and if they considers that differences due to generations exist. The study will also try to determine if the respondents are aware of each generation’s characteristics. To fulfill the purpose of the study a qualitative method was chosen in the shape of a focus group. To be able to answer the purpose an interview guide was developed from previous studies. The guide was divided in three sections; scenarios, exercises and finally questions. The focus group resulted in a two-hour discussion between four individuals belonging to generation y. The result of the study showed that generation y in Falun, Sweden did identify some of the characteristics each generation had. Further did the respondents conform that resistance due to generational differences was a problem. To answer the purpose of the study generation y felt underestimated by the older generations and expressed a certain degree of hopelessness.

Testing for accountability

Current graduates in education are entering a very different profession to the one in which most of their “baby-boomer” colleagues started. It is a profession in which accountability and national high-stakes testing (e.g. NAPLAN) have become catch-cries, and where the interpretation and use of educational data is an additional challenge. This has led to schools focusing on performance, and teachers now have to analyse test data and apply the findings to their teaching.

Conference report: Lights, Camera, Action : Spotlight on Tourism in the New Millennium. 31st Annual Travel and Tourism Research Association Conference.

The 31st TTRA conference was held in California’s San Fernando Valley, home of Hollywood and Burbank’s movie and television studios. The twin themes of Hollywood and the new Millennium promised and delivered “something old, yet something new”. The meeting offered a historical summary, not only of the year in review but also of many features of travel research since the first literature in the field appeared in the 1970s. Also, the millennium theme set the scene for some stimulating and forward thinking discussions. The Hollywood location offered an opportunity to ponder on the value of the movie-induced tourism for Los Angeles, at a time when Hollywood Boulevard was in the midst of a much needed redevelopment programme. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce speaker Oscar Arslanian acknowledged that the face of the famous district had become tired, and that its ability to continue to attract visitors in the future lay in redeveloping its past heritage. In line with the Hollywood theme a feature of the conference was a series of six special sessions with “Stars of Travel Research”. These sessions featured: Clare Gunn, Stanley Plog, Charles Gouldner, John Hunt, Brent Ritchie, Geoffrey Crouch, Peter Williams, Douglas Frechtling, Turgut Var, Robert Christie-Mill, and John Crotts. Delegates were indeed privileged to hear from many of the pioneers of tourism research. Clare Gunn, Charles Goeldner, Turgut Var and Stanley Plog, for example, traced the history of different aspects of the tourism literature, and in line with the millennium theme, offered some thought provoking discussion on the future challenges facing tourism. These included; the commodotisation of airlines and destinations, airport and traffic congestion, environment sustainability responsibility and the looming burst of the baby-boomer bubble. Included in the conference proceedings are four papers presented by five of the “Stars”. Brent Ritchie and Geoffrey Crouch discuss the critical success factors for destinations, Clare Gunn shares his concerns about tourism being a smokestack industry, Doug Frechtling provides forecasts of outbound travel from 20 countries, and Charles Gouldner, who has attended all 31 TTRA conferences, reflects on the changes that have taken place in tourism research over 35 years...

Designing for Accessibility: A Compendium

There is a quickly growing movement toward more functional and accessible housing designs in Calgary, in Canada and within North America. Why? There are several important contributing factors: Our aging Baby-boomer Population (and their caring for elderly parents). The growing demand for more sustainable housing (keeping one’s dwelling for greater lengths of time).

Cumulative exposure to traumatic events in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the impact of cumulative trauma exposure on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity in a nonclinical sample of adults in their 60s. The predictive utility of cumulative trauma exposure was compared to other known predictors of PTSD, including trauma severity, personality traits, social support, and event centrality. METHOD: Community-dwelling adults (n = 2515) from the crest of the Baby Boom generation completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Centrality of Event Scale, and rated their current social support. RESULTS: Cumulative trauma exposure predicted greater PTSD symptom severity in hierarchical regression analyses consistent with a dose-response model. Neuroticism and event centrality also emerged as robust predictors of PTSD symptom severity. In contrast, the severity of individuals' single most distressing life event, as measured by self-report ratings of the A1 PTSD diagnostic criterion, did not add explanatory variance to the model. Analyses concerning event categories revealed that cumulative exposure to childhood violence and adulthood physical assaults were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity in older adulthood. Moreover, cumulative self-oriented events accounted for a larger percentage of variance in symptom severity compared to events directed at others. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the cumulative impact of exposure to traumatic events throughout the life course contributes significantly to posttraumatic stress in older adulthood above and beyond other known predictors of PTSD.

Fin de vie active des travailleurs canadiens : une analyse des départs d’emploi de carrière et des emplois de transition selon l’industrie, 1993-2010

Avec la vague des départs à la retraite amorcée par la génération des baby-boomers, le marché du travail canadien traversera inéluctablement une période de transition. Le vide laissé par ces départs obligera de nombreuses industries à réajuster leur tir afin de ne pas être secouées par de trop fortes turbulences. À cet effet, l’impact des retraites n’aura pas la même ampleur pour chacune des branches d’activité. S’appuyant sur les données longitudinales de l’Enquête sur la dynamique du travail et du revenu de 1993 à 2010, cette recherche analyse les tendances au fil du temps et entre les industries en regard des départs d’emploi de carrière. Une attention particulière est aussi portée aux emplois de transition selon le secteur d’activité, afin de déterminer si cette pratique peut amoindrir les répercussions des départs d’emploi de carrière. Les résultats montrent que l’intensité des départs d’emploi de carrière s’accroit au cours de la période considérée et que d’importantes variations existent entre les travailleurs des diverses catégories d’industries examinées. L’industrie des services professionnels, scientifiques et techniques affiche la plus faible proportion de travailleurs ayant quitté un emploi de carrière (26 %). À l’autre extrémité du spectre, les travailleurs du secteur de l’hébergement et des services de restauration présentent la plus forte probabilité d’effectuer un départ d’emploi de carrière (47 %). Au chapitre des emplois de transition, les travailleurs en provenance l’industrie de la construction montrent la plus forte propension à oeuvrer au sein d’un tel type d’emploi. Si certaines industries se démarquent des autres, cela s’explique surtout en raison du comportement différentiel des travailleurs les plus âgés (55 à 64 ans).

Social Security in the United States: Overview and Outlook

Includes bibliography

The Canadian retirement income system

Includes bibliography

Effects of overweight and obesity on economic outcomes among U.S. adults with kidney disease

Background. Kidney disease is a growing public health phenomenon in the U.S. and in the world. Downstream interventions, dialysis and renal transplants covered by Medicare's renal disease entitlement policy in those who are 65 years and over have been expensive treatments that have been not foolproof. The shortage of kidney donors in the U.S. has grown in the last two decades. Therefore study of upstream events in kidney disease development and progression is justified to prevent the rising prevalence of kidney disease. Previous studies have documented the biological route by which obesity can progress and accelerate kidney disease, but health services literature on quantifying the effects of overweight and obesity on economic outcomes in the context of renal disease were lacking. Objectives . The specific aims of this study were (1) to determine the likelihood of overweight and obesity in renal disease and in three specific adult renal disease sub-populations, hypertensive, diabetic and both hypertensive and diabetic (2) to determine the incremental health service use and spending in overweight and obese renal disease populations and (3) to determine who financed the cost of healthcare for renal disease in overweight and obese adult populations less than 65 years of age. Methods. This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study of renal disease cases pooled for years 2002 to 2009 from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The likelihood of overweight and obesity was estimated using chi-square test. Negative binomial regression and generalized gamma model with log link were used to estimate healthcare utilization and healthcare expenditures for six health event categories. Payments by self/family, public and private insurance were described for overweight and obese kidney disease sub-populations. Results. The likelihood of overweight and obesity was 0.29 and 0.46 among renal disease and obesity was common in hypertensive and diabetic renal disease population. Among obese renal disease population, negative binomial regression estimates of healthcare utilization per person per year as compared to normal weight renal disease persons were significant for office-based provider visits and agency home health visits respectively (p=0.001; p=0.005). Among overweight kidney disease population health service use was significant for inpatient hospital discharges (p=0.027). Over years 2002 to 2009, overweight and obese renal disease sub-populations had 53% and 63% higher inpatient facility and doctor expenditures as compared to normal weight renal disease population and these result were statistically significant (p=0.007; p=0.026). Overweigh renal disease population had significant total expenses per person per year for office-based and outpatient associated care. Overweight and obese renal disease persons paid less from out-of-pocket overall compared to normal weight renal disease population. Medicare and Medicaid had the highest mean annual payments for obese renal disease persons, while mean annual payments per year were highest for private insurance among normal weight renal disease population. Conclusion. Overweight and obesity were common in those with acute and chronic kidney disease and resulted in higher healthcare spending and increased utilization of office-based providers, hospital inpatient department and agency home healthcare. Healthcare for overweight and obese renal disease persons younger than 65 years of age was financed more by private and public insurance and less by out of pocket payments. With the increasing epidemic of obesity in the U.S. and the aging of the baby boomer population, the findings of the present study have implications for public health and for greater dissemination of healthcare resources to prevent, manage and delay the onset of overweight and obesity that can progress and accelerate the course of the kidney disease.^