On his 72nd birthday Dr. Steve Fox swam 72 lengths (1.25 miles) in 63 minutes. His practice of medicine has focused on the care of older adults for the past 43 years. He has no intention to retire. The author of ‘Fall Down Seven Times Get Up Eight’      and  ‘ How to Markedly Reduce Your Risk of Going to a Nursing Home,’  has a projected Healthy Life Expectancy of 94 years.

Healthy life Expectancy (HLE) is defined as the year to which an individual is capable of and functionally able to live independently. It is a significant indicator of the when someone will need daily nursing home and personal care. It is based upon the measured physical and psychological resilience of an older adult.

The good news is that an older adult’s resilience and Healthy Life Expectancy are not fixed or determined by genetics and chronic illness. They can be improved and maintained, especially in the seventh and eighth decades of life.

After three years of research and development, a free online assessment is available for anyone 60 to 90 years old. In addition to Healthy Life Expectancy and Resilience, Statistical and Functional Age are reported. The assessment is now available at resilient80s.org.