The oldest person I’ve ever known was my step great grandfather who died at the age of 93. My folks passed at ages 58 and 64. A grandmother passed at 73. I have not known any that has lived past age 93.
What do you suppose is the driving force of centenarians?
My mom is 90 or 91. Every day she give you a different age. I am the only one of the boys left but my 4 sisters, 2 senior to me they are all in perfect health like me so we hope to live a long time. We Hope. I heard Kirk Douglas is 101.
@GipsyOfNewSpain I didn't know he was still around :/
@MyLiege Much people don't... he is kind of hunchback now. But much alive... I mentioned this last Saturday to a nephew he was 100 and alive and didn't believed so he looked it up in his smart phone. The hard actor that gave us Spartacus and Van Gogh is now 101. So it may be true the legend about Spartacus that he didn't got crucified because everybody started saying I am Spartacus and a lot got crucified but not him.
My great aunt Kate was 113 when she died.
When she was in her late 90's my uncle went over to check on her and found her up on the roof. He said; "Kate, what the hell are you doing up there?" She said; "I'm fixing the roof".
He said; "Kate, get down from there, you going to hurt yourself." When he left he took her ladder with him. So when he was gone she built herself another ladder and finished her job on the roof.
If we want to know the driving force of centenarians, the best thing to do is surely see what the person who was best at it had to say - Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122..
Jeanne was a cyclist until she turned 100 and regularly drank port, as well as eating 2lb (0.9kg) of chocolate every week. She insisted lack of stress was the secret to a long life - "If you can't do anything about it, don't worry about it", and also emphasised the importance of keeping the mind active - "I dream, I think, I go over my life. I never get bored." She must have got bored of being asked, as often her reply to questions about how she'd lived so long was "God must have forgotten me."
"I have only ever had one wrinkle - and I'm sitting on it!" - Jeanne aged 110.
Lack of stress, it is key. I am not even worried about trump anymore despite what he is. And since I retired at 62 everyone around me trying to convince me back to work... He, he, he, ha. Is not happening.
My father is a 102 year old WW2 veteran ,and a retired New York City Fireman .Photo is at his 100th birthday party.I think genetics played apart in his life span .Both of his parents lived past 97 .He never smoked .He drinks one glass of sangria every day. They say small amounts of wine every day may be very beneficial to ones health.
You are indeed fortunate to still have your dad
You are lucky to have him
I thank you for his service.
My ex's grandmother is approaching 105. All we can put it down to is good genes as she's not had an easy life.
Diet inherited disease resistance safe habitat healthcare intimate partner and will to live socially involved
My nana-my mother's mother-died 7 years ago at the age of 109. She lived in her own apartment until she was 100. Her husband died 45 years before that. She was fairly alert till 107 in a Hebrew Rehab Center in Boston. The last 2 years I lost my beloved nana. Hard to see he drugged and fed with baby food. She wanted to die at 107 but they kept her alive-my mother's religious family-for 2 years.
My nana was similar, though she "only" made it to 87, and outlived her husband by the best part of half a century. Having raised four children on her own she always felt she could take on the entire world and was fiercely proud of how independent she still was well into her 80s. In her last two years. her body and brain began to give up and, gradually, she began to rely on other people for more and more, and she hated it - I was actually happy when she died because I know she'd have been glad to go before she was totally reliant on others.
I can't press 'like' on this. But you have my deep respect.