Every September, Australia marks Women's Health Week, a national initiative led by Jean Hailes for Women's Health that encourages women to put their own health at the top of the list for once. For women over 60, who have often spent decades looking after everyone else, it is a timely nudge. This year, why not treat the week in early September as a small festival of looking after yourself?
What Women's Health Week is about
Women's Health Week runs in the first full week of September each year, with free events, online resources and conversations in communities across the country. The idea is simple: women are famously good at booking appointments for partners, children and grandchildren, and famously slow to book their own. One week a year, the invitation is to reverse the order. You do not need to attend an event to take part; the spirit of the week is simply to give your own health some unhurried attention.
Heart health is women's health
Heart disease is often pictured as a men's issue, yet it is one of the leading causes of death for Australian women, and risk rises after menopause. The encouraging news is that the basics are within reach: knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, staying active most days, eating well and not smoking are all associated with better heart health over time. If you cannot remember your last blood pressure check, that is a perfect first booking for the week.
Strong bones for the years ahead
Bone strength quietly declines after menopause, and many women only discover this after a fracture. It does not have to be that way. A conversation with your GP about bone health, and whether a bone density scan is appropriate for you, is a sensible step in your 60s and beyond. Day to day, weight bearing activity such as brisk walking, adequate calcium from food, and safe sunshine for vitamin D are all associated with keeping bones stronger for longer.
The conversations worth having
Some topics have a way of never quite making it into the consultation room. Bladder leakage, pelvic floor concerns, sleep problems, low mood and changes in intimacy are all common after 60, all worth raising, and all far more manageable than many women assume. Health professionals discuss these things every day, and no topic you raise will be new to them. Writing your questions down before an appointment, and asking the most important one first, makes it far more likely you will leave with answers rather than regrets.
Making the week your springboard
A week is exactly long enough to build momentum. You might book the GP visit you have been postponing, check whether you are up to date with breast, bowel and cervical screening, take a look at the free resources on the Jean Hailes website, or simply go for a walk with a friend and talk about how you are both really travelling. Pick one or two actions rather than ten; the aim is a spring in your step, not another to do list.
It is also worth saying that health after 60 is not only about tests and numbers. Sleep that refreshes you, movement you enjoy, friendships that sustain you and time outdoors all belong in the picture, and research suggests each is associated with better health and mood in later life. If the medical bookings are the vegetables of Women's Health Week, these are the dessert, and you are allowed both. Consider inviting a friend, a sister or a daughter to join you in whatever you choose; health habits shared are health habits kept.
You have spent a lifetime being the one who remembers everyone else's check ups. This September, let Women's Health Week be the reminder that your name belongs on that list too.
Important Note
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Please speak with your GP or another qualified health professional about your own situation.