Third Survey of Centenarians Finds Them More Like
Younger People Than Many Assume
100-year olds use latest technology, follow elections
and think lifestyle choices determine longevity
“If
I could leave any message, never stop learning. Period.That's it.” Centenarian Maurice Eisman
Aug. 8, 2008 – The third annual Evercare 100@100
Survey finds that the keys to longevity are staying connected to family,
friends and current events. The poll of 100 centenarians shifts
conventional stereotypes on aging by revealing that some of the oldest
Americans are using the latest technologies to keep up and stay close –
talking on cell phones, sending emails, “Googling” lost acquaintances,
surfing Wikipedia and even online dating.
“We serve Centenarians and other older Americans
every day who inspire and educate us about the keys to longevity – they
are teaching us what it means to live longer, healthier, happier lives,”
said Dr. John Mach, a geriatrician and chairman of Evercare, a part of
UnitedHealth Group.
Death rates for 8 of the 10 leading causes of death
in U.S. all dropped significantly in 2006; Alzheimer’s passed diabetes
becoming the sixth leading cause of death
“We conduct the Evercare 100@100 Survey to
understand the secrets to successful aging and to put those findings
into action to better serve our members – helping them maintain their
independence and achieve better health outcomes.”
According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau data,
there are more than 84,000 Centenarians in the United States, and that
number is projected to increase seven-fold, to 580,000, by 2040.
Created to be a cultural snapshot of 100 Americans
turning 100 or older in 2008, the survey also polled 900 of those in
other generations to compare and contrast the generational findings on
topics of maintaining relationships and staying independent. The other
generations surveyed included:
G.I. (ages 84-98)
Silent (ages 63-83)
Baby Boomers (ages 44-62)
Gen X (ages 30-43)
Millennials (ages 20-29).
Some of the key findings of the 2008 Evercare
100@100 Survey, released in late July, are below.
Talk 2 U L8R:Centenarians use latest
technology to stay connected, informed and engaged:
● An apple a day may keep the doctor away:
…but these Centenarians say staying close to friends and family is most
important to healthy aging (90 percent). Keeping the mind active (90
percent) and laughing and having a sense of humor (88 percent) also
ranked high for living longer.
● Surveyed Centenarians are no technophobes:
19 percent say they use cell phones to keep in touch with friends and
family. Other technology used to stay in touch includes: e-mail (7
percent), sending or receiving digital photos by email (4 percent), and
text messaging (1 percent).
● Love 2.0: As many Centenarians as Baby
Boomers (3 percent) say they have dated someone they met on an online
dating site.
● Twelve percent of Centenarians surveyed say
they have used the Internet and some have “Googled” someone they have
lost contact with (2 percent) or have visited someone’s personal Web
site (2 percent).
● Centenarians are “silver surfers”:
Use the online encyclopedia “Wikipedia” (3 percent) Purchased a
gift online (3 percent) Used the
Internet to research a health topic (2 percent) Have visited
a political Web site (2 percent) Have made
travel arrangements and plans online (1 percent)
“If I could leave any message, never stop learning.
Period. That's it,” said Evercare member and Maryland-based Centenarian
Maurice Eisman.
Turning out at the polls…Centenarians are
staying on top of current events
● Centenarians have seen a slew of historical
presidential match-ups: FDR defeat Hoover, Kennedy defeat Nixon, Reagan
defeat Carter and Clinton defeat Bush I. But majorities (54 percent) of
surveyed 100-year-olds say that the 2008 election is more important than
previous presidential elections.
● Heading to the polls: In keeping with typical
voting habits in which older voters regularly turn out at the polls, 70
percent of Centenarians surveyed say they are very likely to vote in
this year’s presidential election, as compared to only 60 percent of
Millennials surveyed.
When asked if voting is important, 100-year-old
Evercare member and Minnesota resident Marie Keeler replied, “I don’t
think I have missed an election since I was able to vote … I think
everybody should have something to say in what’s going on in their life
and not just take everything for granted.”
Tuning in…Centenarians Know Their Pop Culture
● Guess who’s coming to dinner?: Centenarians
surveyed chose positive role models – three African Americans: Bill
Cosby (63 percent), Tiger Woods (62 percent), and Oprah Winfrey (58
percent) – as their celebrity dinner companions. Bill Cosby was the
favorite dinner guest of all generations surveyed.
● Guess who’s not invited?: Centenarians
apparently are keeping up with the tabloids when it comes to celebrities
and their “bad behavior” – the most unwelcome dinner guests were Britney
Spears (53 percent) and Howard Stern (47 percent) whom Centenarians
singled out to specifically “not invite.”
● Everyone really is watching American Idol:
The Show tops the TV ratings and, in the survey, every four out of 10
Centenarians knew who judge Simon Cowell is; 45 percent could identify
2005 Season 4 “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood.
● Not the “Apple of Their Eye”: Although last
year’s Evercare 100 @ 100 Survey™ revealed that some Centenarians are
staying in tune by listening to music on iPods, Apple CEO Steve Jobs had
the least name recognition among 100-year-olds (74 percent did not know
who he was). However, 51 percent of Millennials and 48 percent of Gen
Xers didn’t know who he was either.
● The When Harry Met Sally question:
Seventy percent of Centenarians answered “yes” to the popular
20-year-old movie’s question: Can men and women just be friends? But it
was Baby Boomers (80 percent), the generation depicted in the movie, who
ranked highest among the generations in believing that platonic
friendships can exist between the sexes.
Secret #1: Healthy aging involves a mix
of staying close to others, taking care of your mind and body,
and staying engaged in the world.
● 90%say
staying close to friends and family is very important
● 89%say
keeping your mind active is very important
● 88%say
that laughing and having a sense of humor is very important
● 84% say
staying in touch with your spirituality is very important
● 63%say
continuing to follow current events and news is very important
More so than any other generation, 63% of
these Centenarians
say continuing to make new friends is
very important to healthy aging
Three Key Ingredients to the Elixir of
Longevity: Relationships, Independence and Lifestyle Choices
● Little white lies can spell big trouble:
Centenarians surveyed say that being honest with each other, even if the
truth sometimes hurts, is the most important factor in a lasting
relationship (91 percent). They also say it is very important to have
fun and laugh together (88 percent) and to respect each other’s
independence (83 percent).
● Stand by your man (or woman)?: While 51 percent
of Centenarians polled felt that you should stand by your partner even
if you think they are wrong or made a mistake – Centenarians ranked the
lowest of all generations to believe this is important to relationships.
Centenarians also were the least likely generation to rank the following
in terms of importance to lasting relationships:
Saying “you’re sorry” even if you don’t think you were wrong (57
percent)
Sharing the
same interests or hobbies (35 percent)
● “Ink-a-dink-a-do”: Four percent of Centenarians
surveyed have gotten a tattoo with a loved one’s name or something that
reminds them of a loved one. While tattoos are trendier among younger
generations today, survey respondents from the G.I. Generation (“up and
coming” Centenarians) are the least likely of all generations surveyed
to wear their love on their sleeve (3 percent).
● Love can be blind: More surveyed Centenarians
(15 percent) have been on a blind date than Millennials (13 percent).
● Independence has no age: Contrary to
conventional stereotypes, two-thirds of Centenarians feel very
independent in their lives right now. A large majority (81 percent) say
that maintaining a sense of independence is one of the keys to healthy
aging.
● Defining independence: While younger
generations consider the ability to drive and travel key factors in
feeling independent, Centenarians are more grounded. Those 100-year-olds
surveyed feel that independence comes with the simple things such as the
ability to take care of themselves on a daily basis (94 percent),
staying in good health (93 percent), and being able to make their own
financial and health decisions (89 percent).
● It’s your life: Most Centenarians surveyed (63
percent) say they believe healthy aging comes from lifestyle choices,
not from genetics or other factors beyond our control.
You Gotta Have Faith
● In the generational comparisons, the survey
found that older Americans increase their sense of spirituality when it
comes to relationships and a sense of independence:
Centenarians said choosing a partner with the same religious
background is very important to a relationship (63 percent), a steady
decline through the generations ending with Millennials (35 percent).
In terms of a sense of independence, again Centenarians ranked
spirituality as very important (85 percent) declining through the ages
with Millennials at 66 percent.
Common Threads Develop in Third Survey
“After three years of conducting this survey we’re
starting to see some common themes emerge when it comes to the keys to
living longer,” said Dr. Mach.
“It’s more about the things under our control – our
lifestyle choices, our spirituality and our interest in staying engaged
in the world around us. Centenarians are a remarkable generation of
Americans whose life experiences, positive outlook and desire to
continue to try new things should be an inspiration to us all.”
Evercare, one of the nation’s largest health
care coordination programs for people who have chronic or advanced
illness, are older or have disabilities, conducts the annual Evercare
100 @ 100 Survey™ to help inform the personalized, compassionate care of
its members, which includes approximately 900 Centenarians. Since 2006,
the Evercare 100@100 Survey™ has provided anecdotal insight into the
lives and lifestyles of Centenarians, one of the fastest-growing
segments of the population.
Survey Methodology
For the 2008 survey, Gfk Roper Public Affairs &
Media conducted a total of 1,000 telephone interviews April 16 through
May 4, 2008 with U.S. resident’s age 20 and higher. Eight hundred of
these respondents were obtained using Random Digit Dialing (RDD)
procedures to provide statistically representative samples of the U.S.
population within each age group from age 20-83. The margin of error
ranges from +/- 5-10 percentage points across the age subgroups
reported. In addition, GfK Roper interviewed 100 Centenarians (ages 99
and higher at the time of the interview) and G.I. Generation respondents
(ages 84-98) obtained from a non-probability sample of older Americans.
About Evercare
Evercare is one of the nation’s largest care
coordination programs for people who have long-term or advanced illness,
are older or have disabilities. Founded in 1987, Evercare today serves
more than 330,000 people nationwide through Medicare, Medicaid and
private-pay health plans, programs and services – from health plans for
people in community and skilled nursing settings, to caregiver support
and hospice care. Evercare offerings are designed to enhance health and
independence, and in the complex world of health care, make getting care
easier. Evercare is part of Ovations, a division of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH) dedicated to the health care needs of Americans over age 50.
For more information about Evercare, go to AboutEvercare.com
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
“If
I could leave any message, never stop learning. Period.
That's it.” Centenarian Maurice Eisman