A Conversation on Longevity and the Habits of Centenarians

Dr. Joe Casciani in conversation with Pam Fultz, Vi Senior Living Each year, new research sheds light on what helps people live not just longer, but better. In this episode of Senior Living Straight Talk, I was invited by Pam Fultz, from Vi Senior Living, to reflect on longevity, mindset, and the everyday habits commonly seen among centenarians. Drawing on decades of work in aging and senior care, our conversation explored what truly supports resilience, engagement, and purpose across later life. What follows is our discussion, presented largely as it occurred. For those who would like to listen to the full conversation, the complete podcast episode is available here:https://open.acast.com/public/streams/64bacf2677b8c7001140a0a0/episodes/695dbe0c8e6dd12efb2a5695.mp3 And if you would like to watch it on video, tune in here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mEwytvOUkymDx6bvEeduy?si=qokjAozTT12oHcOPNGybOQ What are some of the most surprising or common lifestyle patterns you notice in people who live to 100 and beyond? Sure. Well, there’s a lot of factors involved. There’s our genes. There’s access to healthcare. There’s our income level that plays a role sometime, but we also know that probably 70% of our longevity is due to our lifestyle, different factors going on in our lifestyle. There was a very interesting study that just came out recently from UnitedHealthcare, and I heard about it on NPR. They did a survey of centenarians. They found 100 centenarians, people who are a hundred or over, and they asked them about their lifestyles and what they attribute their living longer to. It was really interesting. About half of them talked about strength training, weekly physical exercise. A third of them were involved with gardening, some kind of outdoor activity. Another 30% were involved in stress relief, meditation, reflection. The interesting one that I found was that about 80% of them really enjoy humor in their life, and 80% like to laugh. So a good joke or whatever comes along. And of course, the importance of family connection- another 80%. What we’re learning from the centenarians is that it’s really consistency and not intensity, not impulsive decisions. It’s consistency over time, whether it’s diet, whether it’s reaching out to others, whether it’s maintaining some cognitive challenge. It’s that steadiness. We also learned that centenarians let go of grudges. They don’t hold on to a lot of ill will or bad feelings. They don’t spend time ruminating. They wake up with a purpose, a sense of purpose, and something they look forward to, whether it’s a community activity, volunteering, going to school, or teaching. There’s a lot of active thinking, active movement, and continuing to stay involved and engaged. I think that’s a good roadmap for us all to follow. Which is more important: genetics or lifestyle? The controllable or the -uncontrollable? Well, both. It’s hard to start thinking about our medical status when we’re 70 or 80. That really starts in adulthood. We need to maintain good health and avoid chronic conditions—diabetes, obesity, heart disease. That’s hard to start in our seventh or eighth decade. But when I heard that statistic from the National Institute of Health - research from around the world - that about 70% of our longevity is due to lifestyle factors, that really stood out to me. As a psychologist, I think a lot of it is our attitude and our outlook, and being able to get up after we get knocked down. The outlook toward the future is so important. If we have that positive outlook, if we feel like we’re continuing to take steps, I think that’s where the game is played, because we can’t always do a lot about genetics, even though that’s changing too. It’s the psychological outlook - maintaining good health, of course - but also having the idea that my future is important to me. There’s a motivational speaker who once said the future should be bigger than the past. When I say that to seniors, sometimes they don’t agree. A 70- or 90-year-old might say, “No, no, I can’t agree.” But I maintain the future still should be bigger than the past. We have a lot of good memories, but we still have to be open to what’s next. What specific daily habits would you recommend as non-negotiables for a long, vibrant life? Movement is big. We need to move every day, whether it’s walking or running. We’re not talking about marathons or gyms necessarily, but physical movement. Diet is important—mostly whole foods, avoiding processed foods. Sleep is very important. Seven to eight hours of sleep. From the Blue Zones, people invariably had seven to eight hours of sleep. Some people like to think they don’t need that many hours, but we do, especially in our senior years. And lastly, staying mentally engaged every day - staying challenged, continuing to learn. The brain likes novelty. Learning a new language, taking up a musical instrument, connecting with old pals, puzzles, reading - any kind of mental challenge is important. Television has its place, but staying engaged with other sources of mental challenge is really important. And that’s a daily process. What steps can older adults take to stay socially connected? Connection doesn’t happen by accident. It takes scheduling. It happens by design. That means reaching out to relatives, cousins, distant relatives we haven’t talked to in a while. We can do that now through FaceTime, Zoom, email—however we want. We have to take the initiative. We can’t wait for people to knock on our door or call us. If we sit around waiting, we might think nobody cares, and that’s probably not true. But we still have to be the driver. Joining groups, senior centers, workshops - there are so many sites online for discussion groups. And it’s okay to reach out when we’re feeling lonely. There’s a lot of isolation. Some people enjoy being alone, but sometimes it takes a toll. It’s okay to reach out and ask for connection. The key point is initiative. It doesn’t happen unless we make it happen. What lifestyle behaviors best support brain resilience? Physical activity is critical, especially aerobic activity. The brain needs blood circulation to stay healthy. It doesn’t have to be exhausting, just something that raises the heartbeat. Strength training is very important because we lose muscle mass as we age - sarcopenia. It doesn’t have to be intense. Even weights or gallon bottles of water. Taking care of hearing loss is also important. If we’re not connecting with the world around us, that affects brain health. Hearing aids today are remarkable. I had breakfast with a friend recently, and he adjusted his hearing aids on his phone to tune out background noise. Learning new skills is also important. I bought myself a set of drums a couple of years ago. I never played before, but I love it. Learning a language, going back to school, continuing to work part-time - these challenges help the brain. And managing risk factors like depression, diabetes, and obesity is important because they affect brain function too. If you had to boil it down to two pieces of advice for older adults, what would they be? A lot of it is self-talk - what we’re saying to ourselves. We need to shift from “I’m getting old” to “I’m still growing, still learning, still engaging.” That shift from decline to opportunity, from slowing down to what’s next, makes a big difference. Aging doesn’t have to be a time of decline. There are so many opportunities. We have wisdom, humor, tolerance, and perspective. The second piece is keeping active - mentally and physically. What lesson from centenarians has stayed with you the most? One woman told me that every morning she decides whether she’s going to have a good day or a great day. It’s simple, but it puts you on a course. Another important piece is curiosity. It’s a hidden treasure - being curious about what’s next, what’s behind that idea or experience, rather than letting the world roll by. That sense of curiosity and engagement - that’s the lesson. What motivated you to start the Living to 100 Club? I worked my whole career with seniors in long-term care settings and nursing homes. I saw how much a person’s attitude after a stroke, a fall, or a heart attack affected how well they adapted. After I sold my business, I wanted to continue sharing what I learned. Living longer isn’t luck - it’s a pattern we create through decisions. What motivates me is helping people shift from negative stereotypes about aging to a positive outlook - looking forward to the future rather than dreading it.