Iowa’s Century Club: Why more Iowans are living past 100 and their secrets to a long life
By Jodi Long
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Millennials make up the largest population in Iowa, but an unsuspecting portion of the population is becoming the fastest-growing.
Iowa ranks among the top 10 states in the country with the most centenarians. Centenarians are people over the age of 100. The most recent 2020 U.S. Census counted 1,032 centenarians living throughout the state. In 2010, there were only 846.
Dr. Peter Martin is a longevity researcher at Iowa State University. His decades-long research of centenarians is looking for the answer to one of life’s most pressing questions: What is the secret to living a long life?
“We keep saying centenarians are unique, right? If they are unique, how can they all be the same? How can there be one secret? You have to find out what your secret is, not the secret,” Martin said.
He says lifestyle, physical health and genetics all play a role in living longer. His research also finds a person’s education level, where they live and their personality type can too.
“It’s really a marvel over how you deal with adversity and how you can adjust in positive ways even under difficult circumstances. Centenarians are not giving up they are trying to make the best of what they still have,” Martin said.
In Iowa, the most centenarians tend to live in larger metropolitan areas, rather than rural areas, with better access to medical care.
“This is our job as gerontologists to see how we can promote healthy longevity,” he said. “What can you do so not only you can get to 100, but you do so in good health.”
Iowa’s oldest living person died at the age of 115 in 2023. Ames native Colleen Larson turned 100 years old this fall, a philanthropist and dedicated Cyclone fan who attended Cyclone sporting events until she was 98.
Velma Chestnut was born in 1925 and is in near-perfect health, not even needing any daily medications. She says her secret to a long life is eating three meals a day.
“Sometimes I think I have more aches and pains than she does,” her granddaughter, Barb Wiedenman, said, laughing.
The 105-year-old is one of several centenarians living at the Suites of Ankeny, an independent living facility in the Des Moines suburb.
“She’s just always been around,” Wiedeman tearfully said. “We celebrate every birthday, don’t we, Grandma? We’re getting ready for the 106th!”
As more of Iowa’s population gets older, there are fewer doctors who specialize in elderly health care. According to the American Geriatrics Society, there are only 50 geriatricians in Iowa. A recent report finds there should be six times that number by 2050 to keep up with the state’s increasingly aging population.
Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw is an internal medicine physician at the Iowa Clinic. He says a lack of geriatricians is forcing him to take on more elderly patients.
“As they grow older, their complexity of care is also increasing,” Kyaw said. “At the end of the day, it’s not about adding life to their years, it’s about adding value to their life.”
Martin says it’s much more difficult to live longer without a social network of friends, family and community. He says people in their 60s, 70s and 80s are the models for the next generation on how to age.
“We need to rethink for ourselves for our families, for our communities, and for our societies what aging really means,” Martin said. “When you are 65 or 70, you can, on average, live another 20 years — a quarter of your life is still in front of you when you retire.”
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