Rich Cohen was featured in the Human Resource Executive article "The Age Factor." While the full text can be found in the September 19, 2013 issue of Human Resource Executive, a synopsis is noted below.
As the age of retirement rises, employers are facing issues that can come along with an aging workforce. One challenge employers may have to deal with is how Alzheimer's disease can affect an employee's ability to perform their duties and how to approach the situation without devaluing the employee.
"The prevalence of age-related conditions, such as Alzheimer's, is going to explode because of the aging population," says Cohen. "If it advances to a certain state, those afflicted won't be able to perform the job at all, but as long as the person can still do the job, the employer has to make accommodations."
While accommodations should be made for an employee, Cohen believes employers should be cautious to not be on the lookout for Alzheimer's and similar cognitive problems.
"When you train someone to spot Alzheimer's, you are priming them to look for some reason to oust someone of age," Cohen says. "That encourages or incentivizes people to do things you don't want them to do."
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