What do chronic illness and aging share?

By Rosalind Joffe, special for WWDS

rosalindReading the article on this blog, Age Discrimination is the New Reality in Job Market, I couldn’t help but smile. Actually, it was more like a grimace. Living with chronic illness and holding a job teaches you about discrimination. Add reaching the age 55 or older? A double whammy.
Anything that smacks of “being different” can bring out workplace discrimination, especially in a bad job market. That’s why living with chronic illness makes it easy to understand the frustrations the “over 55″ crowd feel when they face discrimination in the workforce.
The similarities between these two “categories” are strong and maybe we can learn something from them.
• There are more people living with chronic illness than at any time in history (and it’s not just because reporting is better – the incidence is on the rise).
• The numbers of baby boomers looking at 65, (AARP entry is 55), means that a large portion of the population is considered elderly.
• More people living with chronic illness want to be in the workforce for psycho/social and financial reasons. Due to medical improvements, more are able to do so.
• More people, age 55 and and older, want to continue to work for psycho/ social and financial reasons. Due to medical improvements more are able to do so.
• There continues to be misinformation about even the most common chronic illnesses and how they affect people.
• There is a pervasive attitude that youth is good and that older doesn’t mean wiser.
• The top thing that most people with chronic illness need to be able to continue to work is a flexible schedule in an environment in a company culture that supports this. But even those organizations that offer “mother’s hours” rarely make this available as company policy to employees with chronic illness.
• Few organizations (I don’t know of any, do you?) offer a flexible schedule or career development targeted for older workers.
What to do? Yes, you can always sue. But it’s tricky. It’s even harder to prove discrimination due to chronic illness than age (or race or anything else that is objective in nature). It can also be a drain on your resources, time and money. Finally a lawsuit is a painful process.
On the other hand, you can shift your focus from emphasizing what you do or the job title and place a greater emphasis on the kind of organization you work for — or are interviewing to work for. For achievement oriented folks, it’s not easy to do.
Is there another choice? If there is, I don’t know it. Living with chronic illness (or being “elder”) means that a flexible job should be your top priority. Along with a supportive boss!
Do you know of any organizations, large or small, that focus on creating this kind of flexibility? Are there industries, professions or careers that are amenable to working “differently?”
Ed.Note: Building on her own experience living with chronic illnesses, including multiple sclerosis and ulcerative colitis, Rosalind Joffe founded the chronic illness career coaching practice, cicoach.com. Dedicated to helping others with chronic illness develop the skills they need to succeed in their careers, Rosalind firmly believes that living with chronic illness does not preclude living a full and successful life.
Rosalind Joffe is a recognized national expert on chronic illness in the workplace. As a leading career coach, she has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, msnbc.com, WebMD, ABC Radio, as well as a variety of regional and national media outlets. Rosalind has published in dozens of disease organization and health journals. She is a sought-after speaker and workshop leader for organizations that include the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, BiogenIdec, State Street Corporation, New Directions, Association of Career Professionals, HealthTalk.com, New England Arthritis Foundation, NENMMS, and the Scleroderma Association.
Rosalind holds a Masters in Education, is a certified Mediator, has completed training in Focusing Practice and the ICF-accredited Corporate Coach University program.