Masters of longevity
Local centenarians share secrets of long, healthy lives
By Soumitro Sen, soumitros@theunion.com
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12:01 a.m. PT Mar 28, 2008
When you ask Edna Campredon how she's lived to be 105, she throws up her hands and says she doesn't know.
But many caregivers at retirement homes across Nevada County agree that centenarians - folks who are at least 100 years old - have an upbeat spirit that might well be the secret to their longevity.
Campredon could be one of the oldest residents of Nevada County, which has the second highest median age among counties in California, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 17 percent of Nevada County residents are 65 years or older, compared with 10 percent of Californians, census bureau figures indicate.
Campredon resides in Brunswick Village Assisted Living Community with 55 other seniors.
She takes minimal medication, wears glasses only some of the time and doesn't need a hearing aid, said Robbie Sellery, administrator at Brunswick Village. Campredon's hobbies include embroidery, crochet and painting, Sellery added.
Sellery sees some similarities among centenarians.
"They are all very hard workers and have led simple lives," she said. "Their needs are little. They seem to be the kind of people who do a lot for others without expectations. They also have a positive outlook and are very appreciative souls."
Other elderly caregivers agreed.
"There is a feistiness to the oldest of the old," said Diana Engle, administrator at Highgate Senior Living in Grass Valley. "They definitely have an inner spirit of independence and self-assuredness.
"The life stories you hear, at any point on the road I would have given up (if I were in their place). But these people are fighters. They say, 'No, it's not too bad. I'll keep going.' And probably they have good genes too."
Centenarians such as George Wasley, who turned 101 last Tuesday, exemplifies the lifestyle that leads to longevity. Wasley is a longtime Grass Valley resident who worked in the Idaho-Maryland gold mine with his father and brothers.
"I had a clean life," Wasley said, when asked about the secret to a long life. "I've always had a pretty good health. I enjoyed doing what I did and kept busy. I worked for as little as a dollar a day picking berries (as a child)."
So is there a proven medical connection between a upbeat attitude and a long life?
"I'm not aware of any study where they have looked at (the connection) in detail," said Dr. Kuldip Gill, a Grass Valley physician. "(But) in my experience (centenarians) have a positive attitude. They are very thankful with whatever they get. They are happy to be living."
More than 50 percent of Gill's patients are more than 90 years old, he said. Gill is the attending physician at the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and is affiliated to several local nursing homes.
A positive attitude helps elderly people get better help from others, Gill said. "It is also better for their mental health, which indirectly helps their physical well-being," he said.
To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail ssen@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
