Societies need to take a smart and multidimensional view of aging since these individuals may provide vast economic and social opportunities. The aging population may instead stimulate the social transformation of the 21st century, which can affect all sectors of society, including labour markets, the need for goods and services, family structures and connections that affect several generations. The keywords included the following phrases: “successful aging at work”, “active aging at work”, “healthy aging at work”, “productive aging at work”, and “older adults at work”. Demographic data suggest a rapid aging trend in the active workforce.

 The various factors influence the population of aging are improved conditions in life and work, healthy lifestyles, and enhanced healthcare. The aging population will continue to grow leading to a labour force reduction. Long-term health issues increase with age. At the same time, mental and physical fitness are also closely linked. Changes in mental capacity also occur as a person ages. Older people may not think as quickly and clearly as they once did. They may take longer to learn new skills.

Physical Changes:

The full physical maturity or development occurs around the age of 25 years. After a period of relative stability, our bodies begin to show signs of aging. Most of these changes are first noticed at ages 40 or 50, but changes can occur (or start) as early as 20 or 25. These changes includes in:

Muscular strength and range of joint movement: In general, people lose 15 to 20% of their strength from the ages of 20 to 60. However, every person is different and there is a large range between individuals. However, most jobs do not require a person to use all their strength. Older employees may be able to perform the same tasks as a younger worker, but they may be working closer to their maximum level. The musculoskeletal system weakens over time, resulting in a decreased capacity for load-bearing work. Keep in mind that, for example, highly repetitive motions — doing the same thing, over and over again — can cause physical problems at any age.

Cardiovascular and respiratory systems: The ability of the heart, lungs and circulatory system to carry oxygen decreases. Between the age of 30 and 65, the functional breathing capacity can reduce by 40%. These changes can affect the ability to do extended heavy physical labour, reduce the body’s ability to adjust to hot and cold conditions.
Regulation of posture and balance: In general people may find it harder to maintain good posture and balance. When seated or standing still, this may not be a problem. However, accidents that happen because someone loses their balance do happen more often with age. Work that requires precise adjustments, strong muscular effort, joint movements at extreme angles, or those done on a slippery or unstable surface, will be affected by poorer posture.
Sleep Regulation: As we age, our body is not able to regulate sleep as well as it used to. The sleep can additionally be disrupted by change of working hours, by light and noise. The impact on employees is especially a concern for older shift or night workers. They might need more recovery time between shifts or extended workdays. Use of shift rotations that are the least disruptive to sleep patterns are preferred.

Thermoregulation: Our bodies are less able to maintain internal temperatures as well as less able to adjust to changes in external temperature or due to physical activity. The older workers may find heat or cold more difficult to deal with than when they were younger. It also means that if they are doing hard manual labour, they may get overheated more easily.
Vision: Vision changes with age.. This reduction in the “amplitude of accommodation” is normally corrected with prescription glasses. Changes also occur in the peripheral visual field, visual acuity, depth perception, resistance to glare, and light transmission. These changes are normally not noticed by a person unless there is poor lighting or there are sources of glare.

 Auditory: Hearing also changes. The ability to hear at higher frequencies is reduced. The change is noticed as the inability to listen to a particular sound in a noisy environment. People who work with a lot of background noise may have difficulty hearing verbal instructions.

Workplaces can help by providing a safe work environment that reduces the chance of injury or occupational illness. These steps includes, equipment in good working condition, training, safe work procedures, low chemical and hazard exposure, supportive management styles, risk assessments that take into account aging factors. Workplaces can also help by having workplace health promotion initiatives like active living, healthy eating, stress awareness, violence prevention programs.