Know any women living close to 100 yrs.?

[shootingstar]

The latest, that more women than men live to 100. Just more centurians around than many decades ago. Do you personally know any woman who has lived to 100 or at least around 90?

I celebrate my own health, but really the thought of living so long doesn't totally thrill me. Am I just...afraid?


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle2446215/

Another fast-growing age group is the over 100 crowd. The 2011 census found 5,825 centenarians, up from 4,635 in 2006. Of those, only 955 were men. Statistics Canada projects there will be 78,300 centenarians by 2061, most of whom will be women.

More women than men reach the age of 100 because women have lower probabilities of dying at all ages than men. In 2008, life expectancy at birth was 78.5 years for men and 83.1 years for women.
Internationally, Canada’s rate of centenarians per 100,000 persons (17.4) ranks fifth in the G8, behind Japan (36.8), Italy (26.6), France (25.8) and the United Kingdom (20.3).

[lovelygamer]

I wouldn't call it fear. I'm a realist and personally don't want to live that long. Most the people I know that die aren't in good health and they die between 70-90 years old. Imagine stretching that out even more? ugh.

I would rather go suddenly when I am well, than to deal with a decreasing quality of life. My own family longevity isn't bad, but no one over 90. I doubt I will be the first to break that tradition. hehe

Interesting story and statistics!

[limewave]

My paternal great-grandmother lived to be 104 years old. Both of my grandmother's lived well into their 90's. My paternal grandmother was a true fighter. I had been called to her "deathbed" 4-5 times. It kind of became a joke in the family. There was the bad car accident that left her on life-support in her 80's, the blood-infection that had her in intensive care for weeks, and then the cancer that brought many close calls in her 90s. She was a very strong woman

Although both my grandmothers had complicated health issues late in life, they both had full and active lifestyles until their 90's. My maternal grandmother lived in a senior community and went to dances every weekend, traveled, and volunteered. My paternal grandmother went to many of her grandchildren's extra curricular activities that she could until she had to go into a nursing home in her 90's. She also volunteered and participated in her community events.

[fetchspot]

My grandmother lived to 103. She did watch after her health by incorporating what seemed the best current health adviced. I was amazed that both her siblings were still also alive. They were in their 90's. I used to tease her "what was life like back before the airplane?" A true lady never tells her age, she would say.
fs

[nuliajuk]

There was something in the paper yesterday about Saskatchewan having the highest number of centenarians in Canada. The number per capita here is almost double that of the rest of the country on average. No-one could quite figure out why.
People who do live to 100 tend to not have the chronic ailments of people who die 20 or 30 years sooner. No dementia, for example. Since not all of them had healthy habits, and many had equally long-lived relatives, it's thought to be something heriditary to do with telemeres and cell division.
My worry would be running out of money. It's hard enough to save for a retirement that theoretically lasts 20-25 years, let alone 40 or more.

[shootingstar]

There was something in the paper yesterday about Saskatchewan having the highest number of centenarians in Canada. The number per capita here is almost double that of the rest of the country on average. No-one could quite figure out why.
People who do live to 100 tend to not have the chronic ailments of people who die 20 or 30 years sooner. No dementia, for example. Since not all of them had healthy habits, and many had equally long-lived relatives, it's thought to be something heriditary to do with telemeres and cell division.
My worry would be running out of money. It's hard enough to save for a retirement that theoretically lasts 20-25 years, let alone 40 or more.

Yea, I worry about money running out when living so long. I know a good face to face friend who is in her mid-70's and her money is getting tight. She's been single most of her life, no children. Ironically she was a professional librarian specializing in geriatric medicine and gerontology (sociology of aging) in the latter 2 decades of her career.

Somehow it doesn't surprise me about Saskatchewan...it's agriculture based but probably have people there who know their communities/people really well ..and for support.

Dearie's mother lived to 93. Her last 3 years were not great, with last 2 in nursing home, which is pretty good and indicator of her reasonably ok health up to then with a heart condition under control since her 40's. She cooked and ate healthy in the latter 45 yrs. of her life. I'm so glad to have known someone like her to understand how important it is to have the right attitude and good habits when living quite long.

I believe it is my parents' generation that is living longer than their predecessors. My grandparents on both sides died in their 60's-70's..China's health care system at their time was not great.

[skhill]

My grandmother made it to 94; she was in excellent health until the last 3 years or so. After grandpa died, dementia bloomed fast. I also had a great-grandmother who lived to be 92; again, she was very healthy and living on her own in her own house until having a stroke. She went from the hospital to a nursing home, and died just a couple months later. The pattern in my family seems to be that if you make it to 70, you'll make it to 90ish...

[Eden]

My husband great aunt lived into her late 90's. She was healthy and independent for nearly the whole time. She just started to get very tired at the end. I think she moved in with his grandmother just the week before she died peacefully in her sleep.

His grandmother was quite old too when she passed away, she did have some dementia when she died, but mercifully her decline was pretty steep, so it was not long after she showed the symptoms and became dependent on others before she passed.

My dad's mom I think was in her 80's. My mom's mom is still alive.

[Crankin]

Both of my grandmothers lived until 92, without much degenerative stuff. My dad's mom died while playing Bingo, down in W. Palm Beach.... she just shut her eyes.
My mom's mom died of pneumonia, but when she died, they discovered she had pancreatic cancer. My mom's dad worked until he died at age 91 or 92. He was a former track and football star at BU.
My paternal grandfather only lived until 79, but he was overweight, smoked, and died of bladder cancer. My dad is still active at age 87. Unfortunately, my mom had a viral liver disease, that she didn't know she had until she was in her 50's. It was transmitted in utero. She died at 67, but not because of her lifestyle.
I'd like to live as long as possible.

[Reesha]

Three of my grandparents lived to 93 years old. My mom's mom had Alzheimers for several years, but both of my dad's parents were pretty spry for their age. Grandpa didn't take good care of himself though and was confined to a wheelchair because of his knees and water retention-- very mentally sharp though. My grandmother died the year before he did because she was so darn worn out taking care of him-- right til her end she was on her feet! It was always such a pleasure to come over and make her put her feet up and cook dinner for them both. I miss them terribly!

[SadieKate]

My MIL will be 102 in July and still lives by herself. A lot to admire about her independence but there are a lot of lessons to be learned from her deliberate choices that isolate her and cost her family a lot of time, frustration and worry.

[smilingcat]

my partner has an aunt who is still alive in her 90's and her mother is also in her 90's. Mum lives in a retirement community and still drives her younger friends (in their 80's and 70's) to doctor's appointment. Trek takes them on a busy So. California freeway.

Mum stays young and sharp in her faculty in part to having two young kittens we forced her to have. We did cat rescues and we promised her to take care of the cats if the cats outlived her. The cats have kept her busy, mostly enjoyment and interaction for her.

My aunt died in her 90's; my father made it to 84; my mother is in 80's and still very much together. She has forgotten English and now only speaks Japanese. It's okay with me but for my sister and her family not so good.

Both of my paternal grandparents made it well into their 90's and that was 20 years ago. Yes they were born in late 1800's.

I just hope I don't make it that old. It gets very lonely when you are the "last man standing". Sad commentary but very true from my ex's Aunt living in retirement community back in 80's. I fully understand and appreciate her commentary.

[Jiffer]

My Grandma is turning 93 or 94 soon. She's been ready to "go" for some time, but living on her own (with some help) and doing pretty good. My dad thinks she'll outlive us all!

[shootingstar]

Oak, it's true that no matter how sophisticated the health treatment maybe, a person will still suffer. And this is what one dreads for an afflicted family member.

However, I think you know it doesn't serve alot of great purpose to buttonhole a person with a terminal disease to say that they will suffer alot when the patient is already /has been trying to live healthy all along.

Over 15 years ago, I bought a watercolour painting from an artist I admired for a long time. I was amazed when I went to 1 of the gallery showings for her work and spoke with her: she was single all her life, an artist and teacher of art in Toronto (where I lived) for 40 years of life, travelled worldwide and painted. Sat in the snow in the Arctic and painted fantastic glacier watercolours. She also did ice skating on her own pond up into her 70's...with maneouvres on 1 leg. She had an enthusiastic following locally.

at the time I spoke with her, she was 90. She wore an Indian tunic with gold high heels...totally atypical of her style..a gently devout Christian, etc. She led a pretty healthy lifestyle which included hiking since she did alot of landscapes and in her writings she talks about what she eats.

She passed away at 101 last year. For certain, she lived an incredibly full life and produced an amazing amount of art, including 2 autobiographies.

[OakLeaf]

I think you know it doesn't serve alot of great purpose to buttonhole a person with a terminal disease to say that they will suffer alot when the patient is already /has been trying to live healthy all along.

That wasn't my point (although I think it's important to acknowledge that healthy living isn't a magical amulet against suffering).

I don't want to belabor this excessively, but these two articles say a lot - the first one, both in what it says and in what it leaves unsaid; the second one, on that increasingly popular theme of a doctor who has to face the reality of what his profession is doing to its patients, and is horrified by it.

It really reinforces my impression that in modern American society, a vanishingly small number of people are willing to take responsibility for their own mortality. They just wait passively for it to happen to them ... or spend prodigious physical, emotional, family and financial resources on the assumption that if they only spend enough, it never will. I find that both sad and terribly frustrating.