What does it take to live to 100?...Does it matter?...Many believe that it is out of their control, period.Maybe the better question is how to stay young, which led that sage of our time, George Carlin, to once remark, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
For doctors, scientists, caregivers and others who study the mysteries of aging, living to 100 may even be more about those moments than the genes we inherit. Indeed, Swedish researchers in 1998 determined by studying identical twins, separated at birth but reared apart, only 20-30% of aging is a result of our genes. The rest is more or less shaped by the choices we make (diet, health) and the connections we maintain (family, work, religion).
Nevertheless, Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, told The Washington Post in 2004, “Living to 100 is basically like hitting the lottery. You have all these factors, but, like lottery numbers, they have to line up in the right way.” Thus, those who do live to 100 are often at a loss to explain their longevity, or can only offer humorous advice. For a 106 year old male recently interviewed by Amy Reid, also with the New England Centenarian Study, the secret of living long boils down to “oatmeal and attitude.” This latter half, attitude, is as much a coping mechanism as an outlook on life, since many in this age group outlive family and friends, continually accepting what is while developing new relationships and interests.
Having worked with the elderly for almost 30 years, Leah Chandler, long term care coordinator at the Visiting Nurse Association of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire, identifies one trait above all in seeing those who reach 100: a sense of purpose. Most have personally experienced or witnessed incredible suffering in their lives, economic depressions, world wars, family tragedies, yet maintain a perspective to “live with what I’ve been dealt.”
Moreover, centenarians are very comfortable talking about their deaths, often counting birthdays in months, rather than years.
And ultimately the decision of living to 100 is not theirs to make. Leaving that decision to God or a Higher Power provides, as the Christian Bible says, a peace that passes all understanding. According to Perls, over 80% of those 65 and older list their religious beliefs as “a very important influence in their lives.”
Meanwhile, one may predict a centenarian in the making by visiting Pat (not her real name), a 90 something female in Manchester with the iconic Sallman portrait, The Head of Christ, glowing in her living room. She claims she “eats too much,” and that is why she is still hanging around. Single most of her life, orphaned as a young child, she never expected much, but does find adequate company with an equally well-fed tabby cat. Studies also show, not surprisingly, that companion pets can have a lasting effect. In between feline stretches and yawns, a smile comes across Pat’s face, and the evidence is clear.
Chad Abel-Kops of Bedford, NH, wrote this article for a course on feature writing at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications in Manchester. He holds an MA in Religion from Yale University, as well as an MS in Library Science from The Catholic University of America. His e-mail address is: abelkops@gmail.com.
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