Conceptualizing longevity in nursing: a multidimensional framework for healthspan optimization

Population ageing has increased the number of years many people live with functional limitation and chronic illness, widening the gap between lifespan and healthspan. Nursing is well positioned to address this gap because nurses repeatedly observe function, symptoms, self-care, behavior, and the fit between a person and the care environment. This narrative review develops the Longevity-Oriented Nursing Framework (LONF), an operational model that links these perspectives without replacing comprehensive geriatric assessment or disease-specific care. Literature was identified through structured searches of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and authoritative organizational repositories, followed by an August 2026 targeted update. LONF organizes practice around five recurring functions: establishing person-prioritized goals and a baseline; assessing intrinsic capacity, functional ability, clinical status, behavior, psychosocial context, and environmental supports; stratifying risk from both current findings and within-person change; delivering nurse-led interventions and coordinating referrals; and monitoring response through in-person and digital follow-up. The framework treats validated functional and patient-reported measures as primary outcomes. Biological-age measures may be documented only as adjunctive, exploratory information because clinical validity, comparability, and action thresholds remain unsettled. Nursing-sensitive indicators are proposed for trajectory surveillance, goal concordance, self-management support, referral closure, safety, equity, and continuity. LONF adds to conventional care by making longitudinal healthspan stewardship explicit and accountable while preserving the established role of geriatric nursing for people with frailty, multimorbidity, disability, and complex care needs. The framework requires prospective feasibility testing, consensus on a core outcome set, and evaluation across diverse health systems before broad implementation.