Join the University of Nevada, Reno Gerontology Academic Program for its Spring Brownbag Series featuring three amazing speakers on three different dates: Haosen Sun, PhD; Yun taek Oh, PhD MPP; and Jessica Yurtinus, DPT MS. All students and faculty welcome – no registration required. Bring your lunch!

In March, Yun taek Oh will discuss: Various Retirement Trajectories and Cognitive and Mental Health Outcomes.

Recent studies report that longer work lives are associated with better cognitive health. Yet, few studies differentiate the health-related costs and benefits associated with variations in the timing and types of work-to-retirement pathways (e.g., remaining in career jobs longer, moving to different occupations or employers, or reducing work hours). We use sequence analysis to identify subgroups of older workers with different work-to-retirement trajectories. We then estimate growth models to examine subgroup variations in changes in cognitive and mental health prior to and after retirement. The results reveal that working longer in different careers is associated with better mental health than that in the same jobs for women during their later work lives, and working longer, regardless of the same or different jobs, is negatively associated with dementia for women. These results suggest that promoting longer work lives will contribute to better cognitive and mental health, particularly for women.