Don`t Ignore the Older Worker

We consistently hear discussions in the addiction treatment community about the need to attract younger workers—the next generation of clinical leaders. But is it possible that the field also could benefit from getting a little older, in targeted cases?

Building on findings that health care is one of four sectors for which older workers are a particularly good fit, the nonprofit training organization Experience Works last week held an Aging Workforce Briefing in which health organizations and other employers were urged to seek to attract older workers to help address labor shortages for certain roles.

"Jobs in the health care field are particularly well suited for seniors who seek flexible hours and work that is personally rewarding," said Cynthia A. Metzler, Experience Works' president and CEO. A project manager with the Institute of Medicine cited call centers as one area in which older workers never before exposed to the health care field could prove to be of significant help.

Last week's briefing addressed the health care workforce broadly, but do you see potential applications of this strategy for addiction treatment?