Centenarians on the rise

DeWitt McAbee can't fall to his knees anymore, but he prays for two hours a day.

He can barely read his large-print Bible, but the retired Nazarene minister still leads a weekly Bible study. In fact, he plans to celebrate his 100th birthday Jan. 29 by delivering the Sunday sermon to his fellow residents at the Ponderosa Assisted Living Community.

Thinking of others helps him stay healthy and happy, he said: "If I just sat and thought about myself, that don't help nobody. It helps you keep your memory going."

McAbee belongs to the growing ranks of 100-year-olds who, according to census figures, have become a higher percentage of the overall population. More and more people are making it to the centennial milestone compared to a scant few a generation ago.

McAbee and those who know him credit his faith, optimism and selflessness for his longevity. But even some of his friends said he may just be lucky. Plenty of grouchy, withdrawn and bitter people make it to 100, too.

"I don't think there is a rhyme or reason," said Lori Crow, executive director of the Ponderosa.

Living to 100 is a feat worthy of major celebration. Assisted-living centers hold special parties, families make long trips to celebrate, and the president of the United States -- or his office, anyway -- will send a card.

But it does not turn heads the way it used to. The Yakima Herald-Republic routinely receives 100th birthday announcements from proud families.

America's population of centenarians has roughly doubled in the past 20 years. Washington and Yakima County have seen dramatic rises, too.

Longevity has no single magic ingredient, said Dr. Richard Boyd, a Yakima internist who treats about 70 patients in their 90s.

Luck plays a role, he said. So do genetics.

McAbee's family members who tout his attitude are partly right, too. Boyd notices three common traits in his healthier older patients -- optimism, passion and interaction.

Some credit modern medicine, but Boyd said that's only part of the story.

Today's centenarians have had a lifetime of advantages over previous generations, and came of age with the advent of indoor plumbing, household electricity and penicillin.

"I really think it's broad, it's a communitywide effort," he said.

Societal challenges

But the growing population of older people means challenges for society. Medical care and housing are costly, and Social Security and private pension plans are strained.

And we're not confronting the problems, said Lori Brown, director of Southeast Washington Aging and Long-term Care in Yakima.

"I think we're kind of in denial of what we are as a society, an aging society," she said.

Brown said all the services that help seniors -- public transportation, foot care clinics, nutrition programs -- need to grow with the population. Instead, the opposite is happening in many places.

The agency's state funding was reduced last year by Olympia lawmakers who have proposed cutting even more this year to help balance an ailing state budget.

The center has an overall budget of about $13 million, supported by a mixture of federal and state funding. It helps people 60 and older and those with fragile medical conditions in an eight-county area find transportation, in-home care and legal help. More than half its clients are over 75, Brown estimated.

Staying active

Ethel Blake celebrated her 100th birthday July 5. A nephew from out of town visited and friends took her out to dinner at the Powerhouse Grill in Yakima.

"We plan on celebrating on 101," said longtime friend Barb Heilman.

She lives by herself in a low-income apartment with a caregiver visiting twice a week. She pays her own bills. She has trouble hearing and has aches in her hips and back, but has avoided major heart problems and diabetes, said Heilman, also a former caregiver.

"She prefers to live alone," Heilman said.

McAbee and his friends at the Ponderosa don't. The Ponderosa currently has only one centenarian, but 34 of the 85 residents are older than 90.

"I need to be active because that's what keeps you going," said Mary Wettengle, 98. She knits, sews and crochets until late in the evening and with the help of her daughter, Darlene Odegard, sells her creations at annual bazaars.

"She doesn't watch TV because she can't hear it," Odegard said of her mother, the oldest of a six-generation family who spent her working years in the orchards. "Her little fingers are just going all the time and so is her mind."

After her second husband died four years ago, Blake chose to move into the Ponderosa, attracted by the camaraderie of peers, paying for it from savings accumulated over a lifetime of frugal living and careful investments, Odegard said.

Assisted-living prices vary significantly depending on the level of care, but one-bedroom apartments at the Ponderosa average $3,500 per month.

McAbee, who spent 18 years teaching in the West Valley and Zillah school districts, relies on his teacher's pension.

He can't explain his longevity other than to attribute it to God's grace. He smoked for about eight years as a young man and has lived through prostate cancer. He walks about a mile every day, attends Ponderosa activities and is known for his corny jokes.

How much longer does he have?

"Don't ask me," he said with a laugh. "I don't have any idea."

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.