Living to 100

Centenarians ---- individuals who are 100 or over ---- represent the fastest growing age group in the U.S.  Approximately one in 10,000 Americans is more than 100 years old, a total of about 50,000 people across the country.

In this segment from “Seniors: Living a Quality Life,” we visit an annual event in Hamden honoring centenarians in southern Connecticut.  We also hear important information about the lives of centenarians (and those who aspire to become one) from Dr. Thomas T. Perls, MD.  Perls is acting chief of gerontology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.  He is the author of the book, “Living To 100: Lessons In Living To Your Maximum Potential At Any Age.”  Perls is also director of the New England Centenarian Study (NECS).

As might be expected, some of the centenarians profiled in this 2003 program have since died.  Among them is Gertrude Noone.  At the time of her death at the age of 110 on September 10, 2009 she was the oldest-known military veteran in the world.  Earlier that year, she was profiled in the article “Oldest WWII vet embodies spirit of ‘Year of the NCO’” on the official homepage of the United States Army.