You Wish You Could Live That Long – But You Can!
Joe was 95 years old when he was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk in Queens, New York. The woman driving the car said she hit the gas instead of the brake while parking. Except for a fractured arm and being a bit stunned, Joe was ok, but he was taken to the hospital for the fracture and additional tests.
When the nurse came in, she asked Joe to take his dentures out. The senior politely replied, “I don’t have dentures”. The nurse, a bit took back didn’t believe him, so she put her fingers in his mouth to check if his teeth were genuine. To her surprise, they were. Not one tooth missing tooth.
Joe was in pretty good health for his age and was 100% cognizant of everything around him. The nursing staff asked him questions such as who is the president of the United States and what state do you live in?, All their questions were responded to without hesitation. But how did Joe did he get to be this healthy at such a grand old age?
Joe’s diet wasn’t anything special. He would periodically eat at fast food restaurants and have hot dogs, hamburgers, and/or pasta for dinner, as well as soda, but he never gained a lot of weight.
Joe was not a couch potato. He would go to the bus stop and commute to his senior center daily. When he would come home, he would read the NY Times almost cover to cover and make sure he did the crossword puzzles.
Additionally, Joe was active in sports in his early years. From tennis to swimming to boxing and hiking miles, he kept in shape!
In general, Joe was a typical active senior citizen. He would go to the doctor for routine checkups but was never put on much medication, as it wasn’t necessary.
The longevity of each human individual depends upon several factors, but we must include how a person’s metabolism deals with it all as in the case of Joe.
With that said, there are some basic guidelines that we can all follow that will help to keep us healthy just like Joe was when he reached his 100th birthday!
But let’s first acknowledge and celebrate National Centurions Day!
September 22 – The Day of Centenarians!
September 22nd of this year celebrated National Centenarian’s Day. It is a day to honor all of those who have reached the age of 100 and beyond.
Medical technology is advancing every day. In the 19th century, it was incredibly rare for anyone to live past 100 years of age. What was once a deadly disease 100 years ago, like polio, is now virtually nonexistent due to the successful vaccine developed by Joas Polk and others who followed in his footsteps. So with that said advancements in medical technology are better than ever before and those centurions alive today are being celebrated as they should well be!
Oldest Living People in the World
Currently, the United States has the largest number of known centenarians which totaled 53,364 according to the Census of 2010. A whopping 83% are female. At this rate, there could be close to 1 million people aged 100 or older by 2050 living in the US.
The amount of centenarians in Japan is currently lower than in the US, however, that number has quadrupled in the past 10 years and is likely to surpass the US by 2050.
It is nice to say that this list of people over 100 years old is a large one, but since the list is so large, we will celebrate the most seniors. That doesn’t mean that we should ignore others. We salute them as well and wish all these centurions the best of health going forward and a long life ahead of them!
The names below have been confirmed by the Geology Research Group to be factual and valid.
Lucile Randon
This young lady from France is the oldest human being on earth, born February 4, 1904. A whopping 118 years, 235 days and still going.
Ms. Randon is a Roman Catholic nun and is currently living in a nursing home in Toulon, France.
We would say God bless her, but it looks like that has already been taken care of.
Maria Kononovich
It is believed that Maria was born on May 27, 1904, in Belarus, which would also make her 118 years young at the time of this writing, and is listed as a farm worker. Maria had two sons. One died circa 1939 and her other son passed in in 2012. Her husband died in 1988.
Maria is cognizant and physically active, at least for a 118-year-old, but a nurse does stop by to see how she’s doing.
Francisca Celsa dos Santos
A native of Brazil, Francisa was born on October 21, 1904, and still going strong, well still going we should say. She is listed as a housekeeper and clothing merchant.
Francisca’s mental capacity is wailing, but physically, she is pretty good and doesn’t take or need much medicine. She married Raimundo Celso in 1935 and had six children. Francisca and her husband stayed together until Raimundo passed in 1979. As a good family should, Francisca is being looked after by her remaining children and grandchildren.
Honorable Mention
We felt we couldn’t conclude this article without acknowledging those that have reached the centurion landmark but have not yet hit the oldest category in the list, so let us now celebrate some that for sure deserve to be acknowledged!
Harold Nelson
Hats off to Harold Nelson, a 107-year-old World War II veteran who recently received the Silver Star. First Sgt. Nelson who was in the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division was shot three times by German artillery.
He is from Denver, CO., and was given this long-awaited honorable medal at a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs.
Phillip and Bella Maisel
A story for the history books and a heartwarming a that!17-year-old Phillip Maisel and his twin sister, Bella was holocaust 17-year-old, a teenager in Poland when the Nazis moved in. They were taken to separate concentration camps and neither thought they would ever see the other again, and most of their immediate family did not make it.
Surprisingly and happily these two holocaust survivors were reunited and celebrated their 100th birthday on August 22, 2022, where they currently live in Australia. Both have married and have families of their own.
Following a reporter’s question, Mr. Maisel acknowledged that this was a victory over the Nazi’s ‘Final Solution‘ and emphasized that after the war, he and his sister have been living a happy and fruitful life!
Norman Lear
Probably the greatest screenwriter of all time, Mr. Lear just recently celebrated his 100th birthday on television with a host of admiring stars. Norman is responsible for such popular sitcoms as All in the Family, Maude, Sanford, and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times.
He has five Emmys and is a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame. We congratulate Norman Lear who, without his creativity, society has been blessed with a cultural intellectualism that has sparked countless conversations, controversy, and sometimes arguments throughout the decades, but all boils down to one common denominator – laughter!
How Can We Live That Long?
We can all take a lesson from these centenarians by looking at what they all have in common. They show no signs of cognitive difficulties or dementia before age 92. They have not suffered from old age diseases or symptoms such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease and they have never smoked or abused alcohol. They also tend to have an innate ability to deal with stress as well as living in nonindustrial and less toxic environments, and most of all, they are all WOMEN!
Want to be like them? Here’s a breakdown of what you can do to live to 100 or beyond!
- Exercise! Keeping your body and blood moving. Medical experts from all around the world would agree that exercise is one of the best ingredients for a healthy lifestyle and longer life!
- Eat healthily! Foods high in antioxidants are your best bet! They help fight off those bad guys called free radicals that roam your body looking to destroy your healthy cells. Free radicals are entities that develop naturally in your body daily. You can find high-antioxidant foods in fruits and vegetables, as well as fish, especially salmon.
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- Keep That Brian Functioning!
- Those free radicals are everywhere in your body and that includes your brain! Keep reaching for foods that are high in antioxidants so that your brain cells will remain healthy.
- Don’t be a couch potato! Find a part-time job, take some continuing education courses at your local university or senior center or volunteer at a hospital.
- Do crossword puzzles or play other games that stimulate your mind. Do you watch game shows? Jeopardy is a good one if you like trivia. Trivia Today is a great website to join.
- Don’t smoke! Must we have to even say that? And keep alcohol drinking to a minimum.
- Keep That Brian Functioning!
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Photo: Pixabay - Keep your weight down. We know this one is probably the hardest to do, but obesity can lead to many diseases, with diabetes being the main culprit.
- Try the many diet plans that are offered.
- If they do not work, talk to your doctor and if you have extreme obesity, you might want to consider bariatric surgery, but only as a last resort.
- Stay away from weight-gaining foods, such as processed foods, sugar, and red meat.
- Make sure that you exercise on a routine basis.
- Keep your weight down. We know this one is probably the hardest to do, but obesity can lead to many diseases, with diabetes being the main culprit.
Many are also spiritual and actively involved in their religion. Centenarians are also very active throughout their entire lives even in old age. If you want to live to 100 and beyond, be sure to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.
Reduce stress and anxiety, and incorporate exercise into your daily routine, whether it’s Tai Chi, dancing, or an evening walk with a friend.
Saluting All Centurions!
This author is proud to say that his father lived a healthy lifestyle to the grand old age of 100 and the story above is about the senior who was hit by a car! That was him!
With that said, let us all give a salute to those who have made it to 100 and beyond!