Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton

Rock Stars of Aging
7
Chapter THREE
The Centenarian Tsunami
“Centenarians disprove the perception that the older you get, the
sicker you get. They teach us that the older you get, the healthier
you’ve been.” – Dr. Thomas Perls, Director of the New England
Centenarian Study
Throughout 99 percent of human history, the average life expectancy
was less than 18 years. In 1900, the average life expectancy in the
U.S. was 47. Today that will barely get you a midlife crisis. Yesterday
your chances of living to 100 were 1 in 4,000. Tomorrow they could
be 1 in 2. That’s the flip of a coin.
Ready or not, the age of the centenarian is here. Centenarians are
now the second fastest growing segment of our population. In fact,
the only group that’s growing more rapidly is supercentenarians --
those at least 110 years old. How big of a phenomenon is this?
Hallmark is now printing "Happy 100th Birthday" cards, and a cake
with 100 candles has become so commonplace that it no longer
guarantees a photo in the local newspaper. And forget about getting
a Willard Scott shout-out on the Today show for your 100th birthday.
If Willard mentioned every centenarian’s birthday, there would be no
time left for Matt, Ann and Al.
While centenarians will become increasingly common, extremely
active, successful and even powerful centenarians will become
international celebrities, not just for what they do but what they
represent. Unlike others of extreme age, they will not be simply
tolerated or ridiculed. They will be revered -- traveling the world,
speaking, entertaining, educating and adding true value to society.
They will become the first true Rock Stars of Aging.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are now about 125,000
centenarians in the United States. The centenarians club could reach
six million worldwide by the year 2050 with nearly 1 million living in
the U.S. And here’s the really good news -- we’re not just living
longer, we’re living better.
Rock Stars of Aging
7