The influence of working later in life on memory functioning

This article examines the influence of work status on subsequent memory trajectories in later years. Using a subsample of 8165 older adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study and were 65 years or older in 2002, we examined work status and memory functioning after controlling for age and demographic characteristics. In growth curve analyses, work status predicted the rate of immediate memory decline from 2002 to 2006 with full-time employed individuals showing less immediate memory decline after controlling for age. However, work status categories were not associated with subsequent age-adjusted delayed memory trajectories. The findings from these growth curve analyses support the hypothesis that working late in life helps to impede immediate memory declines that often occur in later years.