Maximize your retirement by planning for health and mobility

Key Takeaways: How to plan for health and mobility in retirement

• Diabetes affects nearly 1 in 3 adults over 65 and nearly half are prediabetic without knowing it.
• 9 in 10 Canadian cancer cases are diagnosed in people over 50, but early detection dramatically improves outcomes.
• 9 in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease, including many who have no idea.
• Falls are the leading cause of injury in adults over 65, and loss of mobility can quietly erode independence long before that.

When we plan for retirement, most of us have big dreams. We imagine traveling the world, spending time with our family and friends, maybe taking a class or two and generally enjoying being active without our day job to get in the way. And the beautiful thing about retirement is that it’s all possible, because we plan for it. But there’s something that’s not as often planned for, yet equally important (if not more so): the physical and mental health we’ll need to maintain in order to see those dreams come true.

As we enjoy our golden years, our bodies are still experiencing the wear and tear of age, so it’s crucial to make plans to minimize and even prevent health challenges that could keep us from a great retirement. By keeping track of your health with preventive care and proactive strategies, you’ll be able to stay in the driver’s seat of your retirement for decades to come.

“Prevention is about understanding your risk for developing a problem and that's not a static thing,” says Dr. Adam Myers, Senior Vice President of TELUS Health Care Centres.

Here are some of the risks to watch out for as you embark upon this exciting new phase, and how to keep them at bay.

Increased health risks for retirees (50-60+ years)

You’ve probably heard it from your doctor more than once: the older you get, the faster your risk factors for a number of diseases and conditions increase. The top three issues every older adult would do well to stay on the lookout for are diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Here’s what you need to know.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease wherein a body’s blood sugar, or glucose, is consistently too high. There are two types: with type 1 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in childhood but still possible to be diagnosed in adulthood, your body can’t make insulin, the hormone that regulates your glucose levels; with type 2 diabetes, your cells start resisting insulin (or your body starts having trouble making enough of it).

There’s also a condition known as prediabetes, which basically means your blood sugar numbers are higher than they should be, but below the official threshold for a diabetes diagnosis.

According to Diabetes Canada, 30% of Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes, and nearly half of all Canadians with diabetes are over the age of 65. A diabetes diagnosis can bring with it a lot of severely limiting symptoms, like pain and nerve damage; dexterity, vision and memory loss; trouble with kidney function; increased likelihood of injury and slower healing times; urinary incontinence; mental health decline; even premature death from issues that often come with diabetes, like stroke and heart disease (more on the latter below).

Medication and equipment can be a significant cost burden, too. Out-of-pocket costs for managing type 2 diabetes can reach thousands of dollars annually depending on your provincial coverage and private insurance plans.

In fact, diabetes drug and device claims were the number one category by eligible amount in 2024, according to TELUS Health’s own Drug Data Trends and National Benchmarks Report.

There are a number of risk factors that are associated with the onset of diabetes. A family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes and an inactive lifestyle are all correlated with a diabetes diagnosis. University of Chicago Medicine suggests older adults be on the lookout for symptoms like fatigue, increasing appetite or thirst, unintentional weight loss, frequent urination, blurry vision and cuts or bruises that heal more slowly than usual.

“Diabetes doesn’t just come out of nowhere,” says Dr. Myers, “when you identify insulin resistance, you can actually stop that path, reverse the insulin resistance and help prevent the onset of diabetes in the first place.”

The U.S. National Institutes of Health suggest that people who are at risk, or have been diagnosed with prediabetes, can prevent or delay the diagnosis by getting exercise, eating a healthy diet, checking your glucose levels regularly and having a conversation with your doctor about lifestyle changes and/or medications that can help.

Cancer

Nine in 10 cancer cases in Canada are diagnosed in people over 50, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, making regular cancer screenings one of the most essential components of a healthy, proactive retirement. Research shows that almost every kind of cancer results in dramatically improved outcomes when you catch it early.

TELUS Health Care Centres offer Preventive Health Assessments that include advanced lab screenings, bloodwork and the option to add genetic testing, along with a unique care plan developed by a team of health professionals to help you prepare for whatever turns your health takes.

Beyond screenings, one of the most impactful things you can do to mitigate cancer risks throughout retirement is refining your diet. Focusing on meal balance; keeping your portion sizes modest; eating more fiber; and shifting toward plant-based options and away from alcohol, red meat, super-processed foods and excess sugar and fat are all great ways to improve your odds against cancer diagnoses.

Heart disease / heart attacks

Nine in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. While older adults (specifically men over 45 and women past the age of menopause) are the most at risk of a heart event, heart attacks are also becoming increasingly more common among people under 40. Moreover, the signs of heart disease can be hard to identify as symptoms, all of which means it’s never too early to start investing in preventive health checks, whoever and however old you are.

Risk factors associated with heart disease run the gamut; smoking and diet, of course, both play a role, but so do family history and genetics, which is why knowing your personal risk profile as early as possible is so valuable. You’ll want to watch your cholesterol levels and blood pressure and aim to get roughly 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most, if not all, days of the week. Beyond that, investing in comprehensive lab panels, electrocardiogram (ECG) testing, genetic testing for heritable heart disease risk factors and other cardiovascular risk evaluations can put that unique profile in your (and your family’s, and your medical team’s) hands.

Maintaining mobility in retirement

For many, independence is a critical part of a fulfilling retirement, and mobility, mainly maintaining what you have, is often key to that independence. Being able to get around on your own won’t just keep you in your home; it also ensures you can participate in your social life and access the resources you need as long as possible.

According to one international study (among many others), one third of 70-year-olds and most 80-year-olds report restrictions on mobility in their apartments and immediate surroundings. Those who don’t maintain their mobility in older age increasingly risk things like sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), falls, chronic disease and nursing home admission.

And these can be devastating: Public Health Agency of Canada data shows that falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and injury deaths among Canadians aged 65 or older, accounting for 85% of all senior injury hospitalizations.

According to Canadian physical activity guidelines, one of the best ways to maintain mobility through your later years is through regular exercise:

• Aerobic exercise: 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week (roughly 30 minutes, 5 days a week).
• Muscle strengthening: Strength and resistance activities using major muscle groups, at least two days per week.

Even a daily walk around the block to start can make a meaningful difference. Another great place to start is with a mobility assessment from a team of experts who can give you precise, actionable insights about your body, whatever you’re looking to address. TELUS Health Care Centres, for example, offer kinesiology and movement assessments that can help you understand your fitness baseline and design an exercise and mobility plan tailored to you and the active, independent retirement you’ve always imagined.

Better longevity and healthspan start with a plan

While you may be able to delay or even avoid some conditions entirely as you age, the reality is, a lot of the issues that come with aging are going to be inevitable. Preventive health offers you an opportunity to develop a plan for when any number of issues eventually crop up. The goal isn’t just to increase your longevity (or lifespan), it’s to increase your healthspan, a term used to denote adding more life to your years, not just more years to your life.

Exercise, nutrition and other healthy habits are a great foundation for your proactive strategy, and preventive screenings and tests can give you a strong idea of what you may encounter throughout retirement. But when something appears to interrupt your good times, be it disease, mobility, or some other health issue, have a plan for how you’ll adapt, so you can keep on maximizing those golden years.