“Just as your skin wrinkles, your joints and back tend to change as you get older. It isn't necessarily a given you’ll have an issue with your back or knee or whatever, but it can happen as part of the aging process.”—Radeyan Sazzad, Manager—Health Management, Australian Unity
Key points
- Your 60s brings changes to your joints, back and cardiovascular fitness, as well as a decline in bone density.
- It’s a decade that sees a significant increase in people requiring surgery to manage chronic conditions. However, you may also find your body doesn’t recover as quickly from procedures or health issues as it previously did.
- Skin cancer surgery becomes more common, but it’s also important to ensure you get enough sunshine to support the production of vitamin D—particularly as the aging process makes it more difficult to absorb the vitamin.
Hitting 60 is a huge milestone in our lives. During this decade, we’re often focused on retiring from the workforce, and perhaps spending more time on our hobbies and with our loved ones. It’s a time when we all hope our health remains in good shape too, so we can enjoy the fruits of our working life.
However, as you would probably expect, your health undergoes significant changes in your 60s, some of which—like heart issues or insulin resistance—can bubble along below the surface. In this article, we look at what’s happening healthwise during this life stage.
Managing chronic issues
“Just as your skin wrinkles, your joints and back tend to change as you get older. It isn't necessarily a given that you’ll have an issue, but it can happen as part of the aging process.” That’s the warning from Radeyan Sazzad, Manager—Health Management at Australian Unity.
Bigger drop-offs in cardiovascular fitness also occur in this decade, he says, and a rise in heart attacks and other heart events. Bone mass and density are declining too, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
Overall, says Radeyan, the data shows there’s a big uptick in surgeries and the need to manage chronic conditions. Hip and knee replacements, cardiac interventions, gastrointestinal procedures, and gynaecological and orthopaedic surgery are all common during this life stage.
Some good news? “I want to highlight that the writing isn’t necessarily on the wall,” says Radeyan. “There are plenty of things you can do, and just because something happens, it doesn't mean you have to suffer with it forever.”
Getting just enough sun
Did the “slip, slop slap” message resonate with you when you were growing up? Almost 2,000 people each year die from skin cancer, with Radeyan’s data showing an increase in skin cancer surgeries for people in their 60s.
While it’s recommended that we screen for skin cancer from a young age, “what happens in your 60s is that it can reach a point where moles need to be removed because they become more dangerous and potentially cancerous,” says Radeyan.
But we also need a little sunshine in our lives, which means balancing our need to cover up with ensuring we get adequate exposure to sunlight. Why? Our bodies need vitamin D—which forms when we are exposed to UV from sunlight—to stay in good health, and to keep our bones and muscles strong. You can obtain vitamin D from some foods (fish, eggs, mushrooms and dairy are naturally high in the nutrient), but the sun is the best source.
Aging reduces vitamin D production as skin integrity declines. So, while you might be spending the recommended 10 to 15 minutes out in the sun, you might not actually be absorbing much vitamin D.
Olivia Carinci, Health Coaching Team Lead at HealthierMe, a program run by Australian Unity partner Remedy Healthcare, advises that “the best thing to do is have a blood test with your GP once a year. Check your vitamin D levels and see if you need a supplement to help get in the recommended levels.”
Preventing diabetes
As we enter our 60s, the call from health professionals to eat well and exercise more becomes increasingly urgent. One of the reasons for this is diabetes—a chronic condition where the body lacks the ability to maintain healthy blood-glucose levels—which can often occur during this life stage.
While type 1 diabetes cannot be cured, the more common type 2 diabetes is preventable in more than 50 percent of cases. It comes down to living a healthy lifestyle.
Olivia, an experienced dietitian, says nutritionally you need to focus on the types of sugars or carbohydrates you’re consuming to avoid blood-sugar spikes. “Make sure carbohydrates are low GI or have a low glycaemic index, moderate your portions of carbohydrates throughout the day, and make sure that you're distributing them evenly throughout the day as well.”
Bouncing back
When it comes to your health, you might find that you don’t bounce back as well as you did in your 40s or 50s. Radeyan confirms this, with his data showing an uptick in people needing more rehabilitation in their 60s.
“People are at that point where they're having a procedure or health event and they aren’t physically bouncing back as well as they did in their 50s,” he says. “As you get into your 60s, you might find you don’t recover from the surgery as well as you’d hoped.”
Radeyan’s final tip to help prevent issues in your later years? “I think it's a really good time to start planning what the future looks like, and be prepared for when your mobility, strength or independence starts to wane.”
We can’t escape the aging process—and, as our experts have shown, this becomes increasingly obvious in our 60s. However, with the appropriate care and tests, some lifestyle changes and realistic expectations, you can enjoy growing older and wiser well into your golden years.
Disclaimer:
Information provided in this article is not medical advice and you should consult with your healthcare practitioner. Australian Unity accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions, advice, representations or information contained in this publication. Readers should rely on their own advice and enquiries in making decisions affecting their own health, wellbeing or interest.
