Healthy Approach Supports Centenarians' Lifespan
At 102, Marianne Crowder credits her longevity to a taste for change, a sunny attitude, and supportive family and friends.
"I'm interested in everything," the former dancer and exercise teacher from California says. "Absolutely, all the new things are wonderful. In fact, I have a new phone I'm using right now."
"I'm surprised I've lived this long," the mother of two, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of another eight, adds. "But I've always been well. Very healthy.
“And, people have always been wonderful to me,” says Crowder. “My two girls are exceptional, and I've had a very happy marriage and a very pleasant place to live. And I have a lot of friends, mostly my daughter's age, of course."
Not surprisingly, a new survey reveals that Crowder's recipe for a long and happy life mirrors that of other centenarians.
What is more, poll results indicate that a significant number of centenarians practice what they preach by embracing the 21st century while maintaining 20th-century routines.
In fact, the 2008 Evercare 100 at 100 Survey - the third incarnation of an annual snapshot of one hundred men and women who have crossed that major hurdle - shows this.
The survey found that many among the extreme elderly are actively appropriating the cell phones, e-mail, and Internet touchstones of far younger generations to keep abreast of personal affairs, politics, and popular culture.
"My biggest surprise was the level of technology that people over 100 were using", says Dr. John Mach, a geriatrician and chairman of poll sponsor Evercare.
"The last time we did this survey, we found that many people over 100 were using an iPod," he adds. "And this year, we found that people were using Google.
So, this is a recurring theme. And it's because they are using this technology to stay in touch with friends and family," says Dr. Mach.
US Census Bureau data shows there are currently more than 84,000 centenarians in the US - a figure that is expected to rise to 580,000 by the 2040.
This year's results were gleaned from a telephone survey conducted last spring of 1,000 randomly selected Americans between the ages of 20 and 83, as well as from separate interviews of 100 men and women who were at least 99 at the time they participated.
Among the centenarians polled, 90 percent said that staying close to family and friends was the most important factor in terms of healthy aging.
Nine in 10 said keeping mentally active was critical to a long life, while 88 percent stressed the importance of having a sense of humor.
More than four in five said that maintaining their independence was central to aging well, and nearly two-thirds said that lifestyle choices were the backbone of their longevity - not genetics.
Technology appeared to be front and center in many centenarian lives. Nearly one in five said they use cell phones; 7 percent use e-mail; 4 percent exchange digital photos by e-mail; 3 percent use an online dating service; and 12 percent say they surf the Web.
Two percent said they specifically used the search engine Google to look for someone with whom they had lost contact.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Through the daily grapevine of popular culture, we get the message over and over that young is better than old. But new research contradicts these age-old stereotypes. Indeed, studies suggest that the older you get, the happier you become.
If you are surprised, it is probably because you associate old age with disease, depression and disability.
The advantages of being older are that you are settled, you have accomplished things in life, and you are more content with the way you are, experts say. You feel good about yourself from having tested yourself out in the world and achieved success. You might want to be 19 again, but you do not remember the turmoil of being 19.
The common stereotype is that aging is all downhill, but experts say that we should be anticipating good years rather than poor years. After age 50, factors such as more leisure and travel time, the feeling of having "made it," and freedom after the children are grown all figure into the equation.
Particularly for women and older men, happiness tends to hinge on family concerns, say researchers. They receive pleasure from seeing their children successful and happy, or they are unhappy because a child is unsettled.
Although ill health and financial problems may cause unhappiness at a particular age, those factors are not necessarily related to aging. Older adults who do not have these problems are no more likely to be depressed than people at other stages of life.
Experts offer this advice for satisfying senior years:
- Continue to acquire new skills. Develop a hobby. Learn a foreign language. Many people believe that thinking skills naturally deteriorate as you age. But research shows that people who keep learning tend to retain their mental sharpness.
- Be concerned about others. Volunteer, keep pets, make friends with neighbors - anything that keeps you meeting people. Researchers note these two attributes among older adults who have kept youthful attitudes: They maintain close relationships and they remain involved in the community.
- Exercise. You can improve your strength, flexibility, and endurance with a surprisingly small amount of effort. The benefits for your physical health will be equaled by the benefits to your mental outlook.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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