Do you know anyone over 100 years old?

[Glitterbiscuits]

Thinking about David Attenborough today,( happy birthday to him! ) I have only ever met one person over 100 years old. She was a friend of my mother-in-law‘s. A lady who lived independently but in sheltered accommodation. She’d had an interesting life and lived around the world but had never married or had a family. She had one niece who I think was in Canada. My mother-in-law who was about 30 years younger got chatting her at a needlework exhibition and they stayed friends. She left my mother-in-law a large tapestry in her Will.
I think possibly there’s a photograph somewhere of my elder son who is now 26 as a baby with this lady as I remember thinking at the time it would be an interesting thing to have a baby and a 100 year old person in the same photograph. I feel like I should go and dig it out now.
That’s it, just the one. I’ve been trying to think if any of my friends are very elderly relatives but can’t come up with anyone.

My friend's aunt is 103 and still lives alone in her own home, no carers and she still gets out and about.

A man who lives near me has just turned 100, also lives alone, no carers, still plays golf.

My grandmother’s sister lived to 107 - she died two weeks off her 108th birthday. If she’d lived another 6 weeks she would have lived in three different centuries.

Yes a few. I work for social services and it’s fairly common to meet 100+. Always an honour!

DH great aunt lived to 101, I met her. My friends Granny lived to 105!

DH's grandad lived to 100 and a half (born 1882). He had remarried on his 93rd birthday and was very active until a couple of months before death. He'd had an interesting life, for instance emigrating to Canada at 16, then being in the British army on the "North-West Frontier". He saw Buffalo Bill in a live show.
His daughter, my MIL, lived to 101. She was always sharp mentally but her body let her down - she couldn't walk for about her last 3 years. It was very frustrating for her, she loved being outdoors, and wildlife.

No, but loved on the Irish news over Covid times, how many 102/105/106 year olds were clapped on coming out of hospital having recovered from Covid.

Now I’m thinking of it, it may have been just those three people, but still!!!

ps I serve a 95 year old weekly who does her own shopping (her son collects her and unpacks)

I have several in my family that have passed the century mark. Most recently my grest aunt was 103 when she passed.

Neighbour is 101. Very interesting women with all her wits about her, very elegant still and dresses beautifully everyday. She is an inspiration to me.

She has 6 children and loads of grandchildren and great grandchildren and told me that she didn’t die because she was always needed by a family member for one reason or another.

My friends Mother in law is 103.
Got all her faculties.. full of humour.
Dresses well and has her hair styled every week.
No major health concerns either
.

No I don't. And I doubt I'll see it myself - most healthy members of my family seem to make it to their 70s or 80s at most and then rapidly decline.

My grandma lived until she was 101 and passed away in 2024. My daughter was born in 2022 so when my Grandma turned 100, she was only 6 months old - literally 100 years between them! She was amazing, had been in the Women's Land Army in WW2, had picked the first corn on the cob the LA had grown and was on the front page of the Daily Express I think it was! Had 3 boys, sadly lost her husband at the age of 46...wore her wedding ring until her dying day, he was the love of her life. ❤️ Very special lady to me and a lot of people on our town, her funeral was packed xxx

@proudgrandaughter1 I’ve just listened. How lovely, thank you for sharing. How old was she when you recorded those memories? I wish my family had been proactive in making any sort of record. History of ordinary people is the real history.

David Attenborough is very healthy looking, I was looking at him last night, he looks like he could go on for some time yet.

he is semi vegetarian, but that’s in recent years, and he has a purpose in life, he hasn’t stopped working, I am not sure if he ever smoked, and how much alcohol he consumed, but he’s one of the healthiest 100 year olds I’ve seen I think

I have a friend who is 102. Still lives alone and does a lot for herself. Has a bit of support from friends and family when she goes out and has a cleaner but other than that she’s fairly self sufficient. She’s amazing.

My mother lived to the age of 102 and still lived on her own. Read the latest novels, discussed politics and always looked immaculate. Both my grandmothers lived to their late nineties. My great grandmother, who I met, lived to be 99

I met quite a few centenarians when I was a ward nurse! The oldest lady I met was 108; she came in quite unwell and I wasn’t sure that she would recover.

Imagine my delight when I discharged her after a week, back to her own home with only a little bit of support with meals. She came back a few days later with a lovely card and a box of biscuits for us

Thank you that is very kind. She was 97 when we recorded her. We have about 45 mins of good clips and I wish we had more.

ExDP had a relative who died about 20 years ago at the age of something like 105! Amazing woman! She was lovely.

My great aunt is 108!

she’s had one card from Queen Elizabeth and after 105 you get one every year from the king. So
has couple of them!

I’m a geriatric nurse so have met lots! Think the oldest I had was 106. Really surprised me as some seem in better nick than some 70 odd year olds we’ve had. My most memorable one was a lady that told us she was bullied when she married a uk soldier as she was German and she’d written books. Still living at home, fully independent and continent and she was ever so glam. I also had a 102 year old who had had covid twice in the same year and thought by gum, they’ve lived through so much and some of them are made of some strong stuff! Another one that also came to mind was in her 100s and when I asked her secret she said no men! 😂

My good friend's mum recently died and she was 104.

My husband’s grandma died just before her 101st birthday. I think she is probably the only person I’ve ever actually met who reached 100+
She lived independently, including doing her own shopping, cooking and housework until she had a fall and went into hospital where she fairly quickly succumbed to pneumonia. I thought it was quite amazing that she never had to have carers, although her daughter who lived nearby did spend a lot of time with her in the last few years of her life so she had support.