Neva Morris, 114, of Ames, talks to her son-in-law
Tom Wickersham at Northcrest Community Health
Center in Ames. Morris is the fourth-oldest person
in the world. By Nirmalendu Majumdar/The Tribune
Iowa researcher searches for the recipe for long life
By James Pusey, Staff Writer
Wrapped in an afghan in the health center wing of Northcrest Community Health Center sits 114-year-old Neva Morris, dozing in a recliner after lunch.
“We’ll see how alert she is today, but I can’t promise she’ll be awake,” said 90-year-old Tom Wickersham, Morris’s son-in-law, as he approaches the frail lady and kneels beside her. He leans in close, his face just inches from hers, and speaks in a clear, firm voice.
“Hi, grandma. It’s Tom. How are you today?”
Morris moves her head slightly, her eyes still closed tight.
“Who did you say you were?” she asked.
Tom introduces himself again, louder, and Morris noticeably lights up. The two proceed to talk about her lunch, the flowers at her old house and they even sing her favorite song together, “You Are My Sunshine.”
All of the activity in the room draws a crowd of several nurses and aids, who are glad to see Morris in such high spirits. For several brief moments in the conversation, Morris opens her eyelids wide, revealing glassy pupils that have seen the world through three centuries.
“She’s in good form today,” Wickersham said. “She came here in 1998. Who would have ever thought she’d still be here 10 years later?”
Morris is the oldest person in the state of Iowa, and is currently the fourth-oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group. There are only about 80 people worldwide who are over the age of 110, a group of people referred to as “supercentenarians.”
Peter Martin, an Iowa State University professor of human development and family studies, has been doing research on centenarians and supercentenarians for more than 20 years, trying to unlock the secrets to long life.
Martin’s research has identified several factors that play a role in increased longevity, but despite all of his efforts he has not located any one recipe for long life.
"It’s more like a recipe book,” Martin said.
Some of the major factors contributing to longevity are genetics, environmental support and nutrition, but Martin suspects that one of the most important factors is personality.
He said most centenarians have what can be described as robust and resilient personalities. They are generally hard-working and determined people, but they are easy-going when it comes to facing life’s challenges.
“They don’t get uptight about things, not anxious,” he said. “There’s probably truth to the saying that you shouldn’t worry yourself to death.”
Wickersham said Morris was always very personable and hard-working. He said after her husband died in the 1960s, she assumed responsibility for keeping up the family’s house at 2519 Hoover Ave., in Ames.
She lived in that house alone for more than 30 years, until she was well into her nineties, Wickersham said. He said even in her old age she was willing to be adventurous, taking trips to Florida and the Pacific Northwest, and even buying a new Mercury car at the age of 92.
“I tried to talk her into getting a lesser horsepower engine, but no sir, she wanted the big one,” Wickersham said, laughing. “And she really liked to drive pretty fast.”
Martin said despite having a generally positive outlook on life, centenarians show unusually high levels of depression. However, their depression scores are not due to sadness, Martin said, they are due mostly to fatigue. He said that due to their lack of energy, they find it hard to get motivated to take on new projects.
“And who would blame them? If you are 100 you are not going to start a whole lot of new projects today and tomorrow,” Martin said.
One of the hardest things for centenarians to cope with is outliving their friends and family members, Martin said. About half of all centenarians have lost at least one of their children, and Martin said many of them feel like their time is way past due.
Only Walter, the youngest of Morris’ three children is still living, and he is now 81, Wickersham said. He said Morris has never been one to dwell on her old age, but she’s aware that she’s lived a long time.
“On occasion she’s made some comment that maybe she’s lived too long or she wished God would take her, that kind of thing,” Wickersham said.
Martin said centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Today there are about 70,000 in America, but that number could grow to more than 800,000 by the year 2050.
He said it is important that society prepares to for people to live much longer lives – especially in a long-lived state like Iowa, which is home to more centenarians than any state besides South Dakota.
“I’m talking with my 20-year-old students in my class about the fact that they should expect to live well into their 90s, if not their 100s,” Martin said.
Wickersham said he walks a couple of miles a day, tries to eat right and even though his vision is failing, he’s taken up listening to books on compact disc. As Wickersham ages, he said his mother-in-law’s experience has taught him that aging is all about attitude.
“There are some people who can not see the good side of life,” Wickersham said. “I wish I had better vision, but I don’t. You just have to accept that and make the best out of life.” [rc]
Copyright © 2009 - Ames Tribune
October 25, 2009
USA: For more than 20 years, he's trying to unlock the secrets to long life
.
AMES, Iowa / Ames Tribune / October 25, 2009
Neva Morris, 114, of Ames, talks to her son-in-law
Tom Wickersham at Northcrest Community Health
Center in Ames. Morris is the fourth-oldest person
in the world. By Nirmalendu Majumdar/The Tribune
Iowa researcher searches for the recipe for long life
By James Pusey, Staff Writer
Wrapped in an afghan in the health center wing of Northcrest Community Health Center sits 114-year-old Neva Morris, dozing in a recliner after lunch.
“We’ll see how alert she is today, but I can’t promise she’ll be awake,” said 90-year-old Tom Wickersham, Morris’s son-in-law, as he approaches the frail lady and kneels beside her. He leans in close, his face just inches from hers, and speaks in a clear, firm voice.
“Hi, grandma. It’s Tom. How are you today?”
Morris moves her head slightly, her eyes still closed tight.
“Who did you say you were?” she asked.
Tom introduces himself again, louder, and Morris noticeably lights up. The two proceed to talk about her lunch, the flowers at her old house and they even sing her favorite song together, “You Are My Sunshine.”
All of the activity in the room draws a crowd of several nurses and aids, who are glad to see Morris in such high spirits. For several brief moments in the conversation, Morris opens her eyelids wide, revealing glassy pupils that have seen the world through three centuries.
“She’s in good form today,” Wickersham said. “She came here in 1998. Who would have ever thought she’d still be here 10 years later?”
Morris is the oldest person in the state of Iowa, and is currently the fourth-oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group. There are only about 80 people worldwide who are over the age of 110, a group of people referred to as “supercentenarians.”
Peter Martin, an Iowa State University professor of human development and family studies, has been doing research on centenarians and supercentenarians for more than 20 years, trying to unlock the secrets to long life.
Martin’s research has identified several factors that play a role in increased longevity, but despite all of his efforts he has not located any one recipe for long life.
"It’s more like a recipe book,” Martin said.
Some of the major factors contributing to longevity are genetics, environmental support and nutrition, but Martin suspects that one of the most important factors is personality.
He said most centenarians have what can be described as robust and resilient personalities. They are generally hard-working and determined people, but they are easy-going when it comes to facing life’s challenges.
“They don’t get uptight about things, not anxious,” he said. “There’s probably truth to the saying that you shouldn’t worry yourself to death.”
Wickersham said Morris was always very personable and hard-working. He said after her husband died in the 1960s, she assumed responsibility for keeping up the family’s house at 2519 Hoover Ave., in Ames.
She lived in that house alone for more than 30 years, until she was well into her nineties, Wickersham said. He said even in her old age she was willing to be adventurous, taking trips to Florida and the Pacific Northwest, and even buying a new Mercury car at the age of 92.
“I tried to talk her into getting a lesser horsepower engine, but no sir, she wanted the big one,” Wickersham said, laughing. “And she really liked to drive pretty fast.”
Martin said despite having a generally positive outlook on life, centenarians show unusually high levels of depression. However, their depression scores are not due to sadness, Martin said, they are due mostly to fatigue. He said that due to their lack of energy, they find it hard to get motivated to take on new projects.
“And who would blame them? If you are 100 you are not going to start a whole lot of new projects today and tomorrow,” Martin said.
One of the hardest things for centenarians to cope with is outliving their friends and family members, Martin said. About half of all centenarians have lost at least one of their children, and Martin said many of them feel like their time is way past due.
Only Walter, the youngest of Morris’ three children is still living, and he is now 81, Wickersham said. He said Morris has never been one to dwell on her old age, but she’s aware that she’s lived a long time.
“On occasion she’s made some comment that maybe she’s lived too long or she wished God would take her, that kind of thing,” Wickersham said.
Martin said centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Today there are about 70,000 in America, but that number could grow to more than 800,000 by the year 2050.
He said it is important that society prepares to for people to live much longer lives – especially in a long-lived state like Iowa, which is home to more centenarians than any state besides South Dakota.
“I’m talking with my 20-year-old students in my class about the fact that they should expect to live well into their 90s, if not their 100s,” Martin said.
Wickersham said he walks a couple of miles a day, tries to eat right and even though his vision is failing, he’s taken up listening to books on compact disc. As Wickersham ages, he said his mother-in-law’s experience has taught him that aging is all about attitude.
“There are some people who can not see the good side of life,” Wickersham said. “I wish I had better vision, but I don’t. You just have to accept that and make the best out of life.” [rc]
Copyright © 2009 - Ames Tribune
Neva Morris, 114, of Ames, talks to her son-in-law
Tom Wickersham at Northcrest Community Health
Center in Ames. Morris is the fourth-oldest person
in the world. By Nirmalendu Majumdar/The Tribune
Iowa researcher searches for the recipe for long life
By James Pusey, Staff Writer
Wrapped in an afghan in the health center wing of Northcrest Community Health Center sits 114-year-old Neva Morris, dozing in a recliner after lunch.
“We’ll see how alert she is today, but I can’t promise she’ll be awake,” said 90-year-old Tom Wickersham, Morris’s son-in-law, as he approaches the frail lady and kneels beside her. He leans in close, his face just inches from hers, and speaks in a clear, firm voice.
“Hi, grandma. It’s Tom. How are you today?”
Morris moves her head slightly, her eyes still closed tight.
“Who did you say you were?” she asked.
Tom introduces himself again, louder, and Morris noticeably lights up. The two proceed to talk about her lunch, the flowers at her old house and they even sing her favorite song together, “You Are My Sunshine.”
All of the activity in the room draws a crowd of several nurses and aids, who are glad to see Morris in such high spirits. For several brief moments in the conversation, Morris opens her eyelids wide, revealing glassy pupils that have seen the world through three centuries.
“She’s in good form today,” Wickersham said. “She came here in 1998. Who would have ever thought she’d still be here 10 years later?”
Morris is the oldest person in the state of Iowa, and is currently the fourth-oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group. There are only about 80 people worldwide who are over the age of 110, a group of people referred to as “supercentenarians.”
Peter Martin, an Iowa State University professor of human development and family studies, has been doing research on centenarians and supercentenarians for more than 20 years, trying to unlock the secrets to long life.
Martin’s research has identified several factors that play a role in increased longevity, but despite all of his efforts he has not located any one recipe for long life.
"It’s more like a recipe book,” Martin said.
Some of the major factors contributing to longevity are genetics, environmental support and nutrition, but Martin suspects that one of the most important factors is personality.
He said most centenarians have what can be described as robust and resilient personalities. They are generally hard-working and determined people, but they are easy-going when it comes to facing life’s challenges.
“They don’t get uptight about things, not anxious,” he said. “There’s probably truth to the saying that you shouldn’t worry yourself to death.”
Wickersham said Morris was always very personable and hard-working. He said after her husband died in the 1960s, she assumed responsibility for keeping up the family’s house at 2519 Hoover Ave., in Ames.
She lived in that house alone for more than 30 years, until she was well into her nineties, Wickersham said. He said even in her old age she was willing to be adventurous, taking trips to Florida and the Pacific Northwest, and even buying a new Mercury car at the age of 92.
“I tried to talk her into getting a lesser horsepower engine, but no sir, she wanted the big one,” Wickersham said, laughing. “And she really liked to drive pretty fast.”
Martin said despite having a generally positive outlook on life, centenarians show unusually high levels of depression. However, their depression scores are not due to sadness, Martin said, they are due mostly to fatigue. He said that due to their lack of energy, they find it hard to get motivated to take on new projects.
“And who would blame them? If you are 100 you are not going to start a whole lot of new projects today and tomorrow,” Martin said.
One of the hardest things for centenarians to cope with is outliving their friends and family members, Martin said. About half of all centenarians have lost at least one of their children, and Martin said many of them feel like their time is way past due.
Only Walter, the youngest of Morris’ three children is still living, and he is now 81, Wickersham said. He said Morris has never been one to dwell on her old age, but she’s aware that she’s lived a long time.
“On occasion she’s made some comment that maybe she’s lived too long or she wished God would take her, that kind of thing,” Wickersham said.
Martin said centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Today there are about 70,000 in America, but that number could grow to more than 800,000 by the year 2050.
He said it is important that society prepares to for people to live much longer lives – especially in a long-lived state like Iowa, which is home to more centenarians than any state besides South Dakota.
“I’m talking with my 20-year-old students in my class about the fact that they should expect to live well into their 90s, if not their 100s,” Martin said.
Wickersham said he walks a couple of miles a day, tries to eat right and even though his vision is failing, he’s taken up listening to books on compact disc. As Wickersham ages, he said his mother-in-law’s experience has taught him that aging is all about attitude.
“There are some people who can not see the good side of life,” Wickersham said. “I wish I had better vision, but I don’t. You just have to accept that and make the best out of life.” [rc]
Copyright © 2009 - Ames Tribune
