Lots of rhetoric on keeping older skilled workers in the...

Lots of rhetoric on keeping older skilled workers in the workforce, but even here in boom town WA I know of quite a few very experienced middle management types that retired from full-time work in their mid 50's (often sold their own businesses into the top price market) who would love to rejoin the rat race (albeit at a slower pace than self employed) but they are unwanted apparently because of their age (experience not as big a factor apparently)
These guys are educated ... accountants, science grads etc whose main resume fault seems to be that they have been self employed.