What if I am one out of 6000 people who live to be 100? Or one out of 5 million that make it to 110? Have you ever asked yourself that?
Dr Thomas Perls, Director of The New England Centenarian Study, says that the participants in their study dispel the myth that the older one gets the sicker he or she becomes. He said “the older you get, the healthier you have been.” Their study indicates that people who die in their 70’s and 80’s are plagued by degenerative diseases years before their deaths, compared to nearly 2/3 of centenarians who either delay or escape the onset of diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. In addition a substantial proportion of centenarians who survive such age-related diseases do so without developing physical disabilities. This allows them to remain socially, physically and mentally active.
Peter Martin who directed the Gerontology Program at Iowa State University and was a contributor to the Georgia Centenarian Study believes that in addition to our genetics and lifestyle, our personalities affect our longevity. He reports that as a group centenarians exhibit a distinct constellation of personality traits such as high levels of competence, the ability to achieve goals, and conscientiousness or self-discipline.
His research also suggests that centenarians seem to be more likely to embrace new skills and experiences, which defies the stereotype of the elderly being stuck in their ways. One of his study’s participants, Will Clark, got his first computer at 105 which he used to email friends and family and look up people on Google. Another study participant, Elsa Hoffman, at 102 exhibited two other traits that centenarians frequently display at high levels: extraversion and trust. She was attending theater performances, fundraisers, bridge and gin tournaments and cruising after reaching 100.
The United Hebrew of New Rochelle’s Willow Towers Assisted Living facility just celebrated the joint birthdays of 3 centenarians. All three women had a few key things in common: they remain close to their families; they cultivate passions, hobbies and interests; they have a strong social network; and they maintain their independence as much as possible. One of these women had completed her course work and graduated from college at age 70.
In 2017 Michele Debczak, a Senior Staff Writer for the website Mental Floss put together a list of ten pretty amazing accomplishments by centenarians. Fauja Singh, an Indian-born Brit became the oldest person to finish a marathon at 100. He ran his first marathon at 89 and has since retired from marathons but at 106 still competes in shorter races.
Manoel de Oliverira grew up under a fascist government in Portugal so could not launch his film directorial career until later in life. He directed 27 feature films after age 55 and directed his final film in 2010 at 102. He continued directing shorter films until his death at 106.
Birmingham UK resident Bo Gilbert’s first modeling job was for British Vogue’s centennial issue at age 100. She worked in a cardboard box factory but said fashion had always been an important part of her life. She said she never ventured out of her living facility without heels and makeup and told Vogue, “I dress for myself; I never dress for the boys.”
Teiihi Igarashi began his tradition of climbing Mt. Fuji in his old age and did not intend to give it up when he reached 100. The retired lumberjack became the first centenarian to step foot on the Mt. Fuji’s 12,385 foot peak in 1987. He was accompanied by seven of his ten children, three of his 36 grandchildren and a photo of his late wife he had taken on every climb. According to the AP, he wore heavy socks with no shoes and stopped to rest every 3 minutes. Instead of drinking water, he ate raw eggs to replenish himself.
Norman Lloyd is the oldest working actor in Hollywood. He made his television debut in 1939 and his most recent film was Trainwreck made when he was 100. He made many movies (Dead Poet’s Society) and appeared frequently in Alfred Hitchcock’s films. In the 1980’s he played Dr. Daniel Auschlander in the television drama St. Elsewhere. At almost 105 he was assigned to play in Fly, a TV series still in production.
British World War II veteran William Verdun Hayes celebrated his 100th birthday by jumping out of a plane. At 101 and 38 days, he returned to the skies to become the oldest tandem skydiver, beating the previous record holder by over a month.
There is even a club for centenarians or would be centenarians. It is the Living to 100 Club and they have a broadcast every Friday at 2:00 PM Pacific Time on the Voice of America’s Health and Wellness Channel. It is for everyone of all ages who wants to maintain a positive outlook on our future. It proposes that whether we are still running marathons or in a wheelchair we can remain optimistic and continue to look forward to events in our lives. It broadcasts on topics such as successful aging, overcoming obstacles, healthy lifestyles, starting new chapters and what you can and cannot do.
Life expectancy in the US increased in 2018 for the first time in 4 years in spite of a deadly drug epidemic and rising suicide rate. According to the CDC, life expectancy at birth rose by a tenth of a year from 78.6 years in 2017 to 78.7 years in 2018. Even one tenth of a percent is very significant because this is based on a population of over 300 million.
The rising life expectancy rates mean that most of us will live longer than those who came before us. The question is what the quality of life will be that accompanies these extra years. Peter Martin said, “Imagine that you’re 95. You can’t see, you can’t hear, you’re lonely and dependent on other people—and it’s because of the anxious, disagreeable attitude you have had all your life.” In other works, the experts believe our attitude, positive or negative, stays with us and that developing a positive attitude when we are young and going through difficult times can set us up to be happy, healthy and independent in our older years.
Thomas Perls of the New England Study of Centenarians has been frustrated by our culture’s obsession with youth and points to all the efforts made to stop aging. Leonard Poon of the Georgia Centenarian Study and Peter Martin of the Iowa State Gerontology Program have both complained that politicians are also short-sighted about the value of our older citizens and the lack of support shown for fields like Gerontology and Geriatrics. Martin says this is ironic because many centenarians are acutely interested in politics and love political discussions. Martin points out that there can be new joys as one gets older. One of them is what he refers to as “weaving your life story and making sense of why we’re here.”
Reviewing the studies conducted on centenarians has been extremely interesting for me. I took a survey developed by Thomas Perls, the “Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator” that asks questions about your health and family history and uses medical data to estimate how old you will live to be. My calculated age expectancy now is 105, but it listed one Lifestyle, two Nutrition and one Medical change that could raise my life expectancy to 108.
Could either of these happen? Of course. Anything can happen. Am I going to change any plans based on this? No, but I now realize that there are some people who seem to make the best of their time at every age. I hope that if I am ever one of these special people I can emulate those who have continued to enjoy their lives and to live them to the fullest no matter how long they live.
www.greatergood.berkeley.edu/article 2009/ 100 Is The New 65
www.unitedhebrewgeriatric.org March 30 2020 – Secrets to a Long Life Our Awesome Centenarians-
Living to 100 Club 0 Voce of America
Jan 20 2020 Life Expectancy Increases for the First Time in 4 Years (US News Jan 20, 2020)
(impressive accomplishments made centenarians – mentalfloss.com