Rethinking Aging: Why Healthspan Matters as Much as Lifespan

For decades, medicine has celebrated a simple victory: people are living longer. But length of life and quality of life are not the same thing, and a growing number of physicians want that distinction to shape how we care for ourselves as we age.

Healthspan refers to the years you spend in good health, with your mobility, memory and independence intact. While lifespan counts the years, healthspan asks how well you actually live them. Mayo Clinic geriatrician Christina Chen, M.D., and her colleague Sara Bonnes, M.D., recently outlined this framework in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, arguing that living longer is not necessarily the same as living well.

That distinction plays out in real ways. Many people now spend their later years managing chronic disease, reduced mobility and cognitive decline, living longer but growing increasingly dependent. When care focuses only on treating disease or extending survival, the things patients often value most, such as staying independent at home and thinking clearly, can slip out of view.

Fortunately, healthspan can be measured. Simple, validated tools like gait speed, grip strength, balance checks and cognitive screening can reveal how someone is truly functioning, rather than only what their lab values show. When these measures are tracked over time and paired with preventive care, they help align treatment with what matters to each person.

Aging well is not only about adding years to your life. Protecting your strength, movement, social connection and mental sharpness is what keeps those years meaningful, allowing you to live with quality, dignity and purpose.

Source:
“Rethinking aging: Why ‘healthspan’ matters as much as lifespan,” Marla Broadfoot, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic News Network, July 1, 2026.