I feel bad for the people who are 99 years old and looking forward to the big one-oh-oh. Turning 100 is not what it used to be 20 years ago. The centenarian club is more crowded than it used to be, with more than 50,000 members in the United States alone. If you want to get the attention once given to people turning 100, you will have to wait an additional 10 years to become a 110 year-old super-centenarian. In 2002 there were about 18 members of that club. (Source).
What this means for those of us considering retirement or recently retired is that this age inflation is due in part to the advancement made in medical care. More 100 year-olds mean more people in their 90s, 80s, and younger. Many once deadly illnesses can now be treated or even cured. Your odds of living well longer have improved. Greater longenvity for those in their 100s also means greater longevity for you and for me.
Medicine is doing what it can, as fast as it can, to help you recover from, manage, or cure many diseases. You can increase the effectiveness of medicine by partnering with a good doctor and doing what you can to stay as healthy as you can be.
You can learn about the role of your health during retirement in chapter 5, “The Physical Domain”, in Beyond Work: How Accomplished People Retire Successfully. Specific information about 8 remarkable trends in health care that will be in place in 10 years or less can be found on pages 120-124 of chapter 5.
You can order a copy of Beyond Work: How Accomplished People Retire Successfully from Amazon by clicking here.
At what age to you think that you be old? Why?