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Retirees Could Use Workplace
Wellness Programs
Telephone nurse counseling
and regular mailings are among the methods that could persuade
the many retired employees who drop out of workplace wellness
programs to return to the programs, says a University of Michigan
(U-M) study.
The researchers looked at a workplace wellness program offered
by the United Auto Workers and General Motors, and found that
retirees dropped out of the more comprehensive parts of the program,
such as health screenings, doctor's visit vouchers, and counseling
for risky health behaviors.
The workers probably abandoned these services because they were
mainly offered at the workplace, said study author Louis Yen
of U-M's Health Management Research Center. However, Yen and
his colleagues found the GM retirees were more likely than current
GM employees to use communication-based wellness services offered
through newsletters and telephone calls.
"Retirees frequently move and are not located in the same community
as the employer. Therefore, mail, telephone and Internet programs
may be the most successful in reaching this important group," Yen
said in a prepared statement.
The study appears in the January/February issue of the American
Journal of Health Behavior .
Boosting retiree participation in workplace wellness programs
could save companies a great deal of money in terms of health
benefits.
"The vast majority of these programs are available only to active
employees. Retired employees are often excluded from the health
promotion program, even though many employers pay a large part
of their health-care costs," Yen said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information
about healthy aging for older
adults .
SOURCE: Health Behavior News Service, news release, Dec. 31,
2005
Reference
Source 62
January
2,
2006
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