Aging and work: the occupational health services' perspective.

The issues of relations between aging and work ability have been subject to scientific debate for many years. Mostly the discussion stems from two opposed extremes of opinion, laying emphasis on the biological process of declining function with age, and the accumulation with time and age of knowledge and experience. The process of biological decline affects and imposes constraints on functions and perform- ance which are predominantly dependent on physical strength and endurance, characteris- tics which are seen as inversely related to age.' This notion is to be contrasted with the well known relation between age and enhanced usefulness and capacity due to experience accumulated over a long lifespan. Thus, according to observations in studies of devel- opmental psychology during aging people con- serve their capacities and develop them further in response to new tasks. This results in added value of qualified expert functions and man- agement skills.2