From lifespan to healthspan: On the 'disease' of aging

Abstract

The concept of healthspan dates back to the early 20th century and has received growing interest since 1987, when the notion of successful aging was introduced to understand the heterogeneity of aging and to identify the most effective strategies used by individuals with an expanded healthspan.
Recent debates around the appropriate label for age-related diseases in the 11th edition of the Word Health Organization’s database of disease classification codes saw opponents of the proposed label old age argue that it was agist, while supporters campaigned to promote the idea of labelling aging as a treatable disease in its own right. 
Within geroscience, there has been a renewed focus on extending healthspan and on treatments that manipulate the hallmarks of aging, with less attention given to aging individuals.
We demonstrate how collocations and neologisms (mostly word formations in gero-) frame this medical interest. 
With regard to language and aging research, we argue that the linguistic and social impact of the recent debate and its outcome should be considered, as it explicitely or implicitely affects the position of researchers, and the language and communication of the aging individuals.