The Work Ability Index for persons aged 50+ as an instrument for implementing the concept of Age Management

This article addresses the issues of Age Management and the application of the Work Ability Index (WAI) for employees aged 50+. The objective of the study was to verify the potential of the application of an international European questionnaire method for the WAI identification in the Czech environment with the emphasis on the healthcare sector. The practical survey was filled in by a group of nurses and midwives of the Municipal Hospital in Ostrava and the employees of the company Vítkovice Reality Developments s.r.o. The results of the survey imply that healthcare workers scored poorer results in the Work Ability Index than non-healthcare workers. The authors concluded by stressing the need to implement the concept of Age Management as an instrument for staff management and for the maintenance and exploitation of the work ability of older staff members.