Survey Says Centenarians Using New Technology; Saying Recession Worse Than Depression - Senior Journal - 4 May 2010

Use of text messages, IM and iPods increasing among 100-year olds

May 4, 2010 - The national poll of 100 Americans turning 100 years of age or older this year reveals these centenarians are staying connected to family, friends, current events and pop culture and are increasingly using the latest technologies, including text messages, IMs and iPods, compared with two years ago. 

In addition, centenarians weighed in on societal issues and values in this fifth annual Evercare 100@100 Survey for Evercare by UnitedHealthcare.

Thirty percent feel the current recession is more severe than the 1930s Great Depression, and 90 percent believe that volunteering will create a stronger, healthier America. Eighty-nine percent say they want to be remembered most as a good parent - more so than as a good spouse, friend or employee. 

"Part of our mission as a health and well-being company is to guide Americans on the road to healthy aging and longevity, and who better to serve as a 'GPS navigator' than our centenarians," said Dr. Mark Leenay, UnitedHealthcare senior vice president of medical management and physician services.

"The Evercare 100@100 survey each year reinforces what we know as clinical experts: that making sound lifestyle choices - not just about health and exercise, but by staying connected to social networks and embracing new trends - is the pathway to a long, healthy life." 

The most recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that there are currently about 84,000 centenarians living in the U.S. That number is projected to increase seven-fold to 580,000 by 2040. 

Evercare, a leading care coordination program that offers support to Older Americans in nursing homes, hospice care and services for family caregivers, currently has more than 1,000 centenarians among its health plan membership. 

This year's survey also compares centenarians' lifestyles and beliefs with those of another group of "seniors" - those graduating from college. While more young Americans are expected to reach their 100th birthday than their predecessors, they also face health challenges their predecessors did not, such as an increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes. 

Among the key findings of the 2010 Evercare 100@100 Survey:

"OMG! GR8 Grandma Texting, Using an iPod and Working Out with Wii Fit!" 

   ● More than 80 percent of the centenarians surveyed say they talk to/communicate with a friend or family member daily. The survey also uncovered an increase in the number of centenarians who say they are using text messaging, IMs, iPods and other technologies.

   ● Eight percent of centenarians surveyed say they have sent someone a text message or an instant message, compared to just 1 percent two years ago.

   ● Twelve percent of centenarians surveyed have listened to music on an iPod or similar device, up from 4 percent three years ago.

   ● Other technologies centenarians have used include: YouTube (11 percent), TiVo (5 percent); Facebook (2 percent); and Nintendo's Wii Fit (1 percent). 

Keeping Up with Celebrity Gossip

   ● Centenarians chose Betty White (57 percent) as their top dinner guest, edging out Bill Cosby (55 percent), the No. 1 guest for the last two years. Rounding out the top five are Bill Clinton (54 percent), Michelle Obama (44 percent), Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi (tied at 31 percent). Actually, Bill Cosby was the top choice among college seniors (72 percent). 

   ● Two years ago Tiger Woods came in second behind Bill Cosby as centenarians' top dinner guest pick. This year, 57 percent of centenarians surveyed say he would not be invited. 

Comparing Today's Recession with the Great Depression

   ● Centenarians have weathered many an economic storm. When asked about the current recession, 30 percent of centenarians surveyed say that it is more severe than the Great Depression, and more than a third (35 percent) say that the recession has affected their ability to continue to live out their retirement/end-of-life plans. 

"Eat. Pray. Exercise." - Centenarians Reveal Lifestyle Choices for a Long Life

In the current era where obesity and related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease threaten to shorten the lives of America's youth, centenarians surveyed again remind us that choosing healthy foods and exercising are essential for a long, healthy life. 

   ● Three out of four centenarians surveyed say they eat nutritionally balanced meals every day, while only 44 percent of college seniors say they do the same. Nearly one-third of the centenarians say they eat organic foods regularly. 

   ● Forty-one percent of centenarians surveyed say they walk or hike at least once a week; 31 percent garden; 6 percent practice Tai Chi, yoga or meditate; 5 percent play a sport such as basketball, tennis, baseball or soccer; 4 percent ride a bike; and 2 percent run. 

   ● 62 percent of centenarians surveyed pray, meditate or engage in spiritual activity daily. 

"Raise Your Hand" - Both Groups of Seniors Say Volunteering Is Important for Health

Several studies have shown the benefits of volunteering on people's health and well-being, and the Evercare 100@100 Survey findings support this theory: 

   ● Nearly 20 percent of centenarians surveyed say they currently do some type of volunteer work.

   ● Nine in 10 centenarians and 94 percent of college seniors agree that volunteering can help create a stronger, healthier America. 

"The bottom line in longevity is consistent and clear: be active until you can't. Stay connected and engaged.  Try new things and challenge yourself. These are the common themes among those who live into their later years," said Dr. Leenay. 

For complete Evercare 100@100 Survey results, visit: www.Evercare100at100.com

 Link for survey - http://evercare100at100.com/pdf/2010Evercare100at100Survey.pdf

 

Survey Methodology

GfK Roper interviewed 100 centenarians (ages 99 and higher at the time of the interview) by telephone between March 22-April 1, 2010, obtained from a non-probability sample of older Americans. The poll did not include older respondents whose potentially frail condition would not allow them to participate in a telephone interview. Therefore, the responses for these centenarians should be interpreted as being indicative (not statistically representative) of the views of healthy and articulate Americans in this age range. GfK Roper also conducted a total of 1,002 online interviews between March 22-April 2, 2010, with U.S. residents age 20-22 who expect to graduate from a four-year college or university in 2010.

Remembering the Good Times Is Secret to Happiness for Oldest American Seniors - Senior Journal - 9 Apr 2010

Iowa State researchers find loss of cognitive ability is major source of depression for centenarians and older senior citizens

April 9, 2010 – A new study of senior citizens has found that past satisfaction with life - even if it's simply recalling isolated career accomplishments - is the key to happiness in our oldest years. Researchers from Iowa State University's gerontology program have helped identify what predicts happiness and long life in centenarians, as well as what causes depression in 80-somethings and above.

The Ames, Iowa researchers studied 158 Georgia centenarians.

"The past is the best predictor of the future, so you're not going to turn your life around at 85 or 90," said Peter Martin, director of Iowa State's gerontology program and a professor of human development and family studies (HDFS), who collaborated on both studies.

"But it's also good to know that past accomplishments and the happiness that you had -- looking back at your past -- carries you through these very last years."

Depression grows from loss of cognitive ability

For the depression study, researchers added 78 octogenarians (people 80 or older) to the happiness centenarian sample. They found that diminished cognitive problem-solving ability was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in octogenarians, while living in a nursing home and greater neurotic tendencies increased depression among centenarians.

Both studies were published online in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Gerontology. Jennifer Margrett, an assistant professor of HDFS, was the lead author on the depression study. Alex Bishop, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Oklahoma State University (who was a doctoral student at Iowa State), was lead author of the happiness study.

Past life satisfaction pays happiness dividends

In that study, researchers analyzed the subjects' responses to a series of questions that assessed their happiness, perceived health, social provisions, economic security and life satisfaction. While there was no indication that resources affect happiness, past life satisfaction - even individual achievements - was found to have a direct association.

Because of their results, the researchers urge caregivers of the elderly to implement programs - including reminiscence therapy and structured life review sessions - to foster feelings of happiness among very old populations.

"You can be not overly satisfied with your overall current capacity and physical well-being, but you can still be a very happy person because there's a lot you can contribute just by sharing some of the things that nobody knew because it was 80 or 90 years ago," said Martin, who is also in the second year of a three-year study of Iowa centenarians.

In the second other study, researchers measured depressive symptoms, demographics and functional indicators, cognition and personality in the subjects. They then compared the ability of cognition, personality, and demographic and functional indicators in explaining depressive symptoms in the octogenarians and centenarians respectively.

They were surprised to learn that overall cognition was not a stronger predictor of depressive symptoms at either age. Rather, it was the loss of the subject's control -- problem-solving in the octogenarians, and choosing where they lived in the centenarians -- that tended to depress them.

"In the case of the octogenarians, it's not so much your intellectual ability as it is the ability to come up with a solution to a particular task that you used to be able to solve in your 60s and 70s," Martin said. "And so for the first time, you realize that there may be decline in being able to manage tasks.

"And at 100, it's not so much the surrounding of the nursing home that gets you depressed," he added.

"But in a nursing home, two things have changed. First, there's a sign that you cannot take care of yourself anymore. And then there's the sign that you know you only have limited time to live, which is different for an 80-year-old."

Elderly worried about direction country is headed

The research also confirmed that worry and anxiety contribute to depression in centenarians. And one of the things they're worried about, according to Martin, is the direction the country is headed and the world they're leaving for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Martin says these studies have practical applications for elderly care providers.

"When we have professionals who work with elderly in nursing homes, we pay so much attention to the helping condition -- make sure they eat, make sure they have their hygiene taken care of, and so forth -- but you also have to work on the mood aspect of it," Martin said.

"And I know people who work in nursing homes have difficult jobs, but just a brief conversation with a very old person can lighten up their entire day."

The research team also published two related papers in the Jan. 26 issue of Gerontology. One confirms the importance of family history on present-day functioning among centenarians and octogenarians, while the other analyzed the influences on their economic dependency.