Rehabilitation of older injured workers

This paper provides a review of international findings in rehabilitation outcomes for older workers. Older workers are disadvantaged in terms of their rehabilitation following injury. They sustain more serious injuries, take longer to recover and are less likely to return to work than younger workers. This results in substantial economic costs to the community as well as a reduction in financial security and quality of life for the older person. A number of possible explanations for the relationship between age and rehabilitation outcomes are discussed. It is proposed that the application of a 'biopsychosocial' model to rehabilitation outcome may be a useful way of conceptualizing the complexity of the rehabilitation process in older workers and predicting rehabilitation outcomes.