Healthy after 100 another good day, on your own terms

What each guide stands on

Most health advice on WhatsApp has no source. Each claim here links to one, with the kind of evidence it is, so you can check it or show your doctor.

1. India's oldest people
   In India's national ageing survey (LASI, 2017–19), most people aged 90 and over were women and widowed, and few reported heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. More than half of those aged 100 and over could walk, eat, bathe and dress on their own, and about three in four of the oldest rated their lives as fairly good. Ages this high are often misreported in India, so the country has no reliable count of its centenarians.
   Rajpal et al., Centenarians and near-centenarians in India: empirical insights on health and well-being characteristics, GeroScience 2025 National survey · people aged 90 and over
2. India's programme for older people
   Launched in 2010–11, the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly aims to give people over 60 dedicated health care at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, including regional geriatric centres.
   Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) National programme
3. Emergency numbers
   112 is India's single emergency number. It brings together the older numbers, including 100 for police, 101 for fire and 108 for an ambulance.
   Ministry of Home Affairs, Emergency Response Support System 112 National service
4. Elderline
   Elderline, 14567, is the national toll-free helpline for senior citizens, open 8 am to 8 pm every day. It gives information on care and services, guidance on pensions and legal matters, emotional support, and field help in cases of abuse or neglect.
   Government of India (Vikaspedia), National Helpline for Senior Citizens, Elderline 14567 National helpline
5. Living wills in India
   Since 2018 Indians can make an advance medical directive, or living will, saying which treatments they would not want if they cannot decide, and naming who should decide for them. In 2023 the Supreme Court simplified the process: it is signed before two witnesses and attested by a notary or gazetted officer.
   Supreme Court of India, Common Cause v Union of India, order of 24 January 2023 Court order
6. When antibiotics arrived
   Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. It was not produced in large quantities until the 1940s.
   American Chemical Society, Discovery and development of penicillin (National Historic Chemical Landmark) Historical account
7. Three paths to 100
   In a study of 424 American centenarians, 43% of the women and 24% of the men had been diagnosed with one of the common diseases of old age before 80 (survivors), 42% and 44% were first diagnosed at 80 or later (delayers), and 15% and 32% reached 100 without any (escapers).
   Evert et al., Morbidity profiles of centenarians: survivors, delayers, and escapers, J Gerontol A 2003 Cohort study · 424 centenarians No Indian study covers this.
8. Healthier on the way to 100
   Among nearly 40,000 Danes born in 1905, those who went on to reach 100 had spent less time in hospital in the decades before. At ages 71 to 74, 80.5% of the future centenarians had no hospital stay, against 68.4% of those who died in their early 80s.
   Engberg et al., Centenarians: a useful model for healthy aging? A 29-year follow-up of hospitalizations among 40,000 Danes born in 1905, Aging Cell 2009 Cohort study · 39,945 people No Indian study covers this.
9. Reaching 100 runs in families
   In 444 American centenarian families, brothers of centenarians were at least 17 times, and sisters at least 8 times, as likely to reach 100 as others born around 1900. Siblings share genes and also upbringing, so the study cannot separate the two.
   Perls et al., Life-long sustained mortality advantage of siblings of centenarians, PNAS 2002 Family study · 2,092 siblings No Indian study covers this.
10. Living at home, thinking clearly
    In a population-based study of 119 people aged 95 to 107 in New York City, an unexpectedly large share lived in the community rather than in care, and thinking skills were, on average, good.
    Jopp et al., Physical, cognitive, social and mental health in near-centenarians and centenarians living in New York City, BMC Geriatrics 2016 Population study · 119 people aged 95–107 No Indian study covers this.
11. Happiness at 100
    In the Heidelberg Centenarian Study, many centenarians reported high levels of happiness despite health limits. Much of the effect of health and social ties on happiness ran through belief in one's own abilities and an optimistic outlook.
    Jopp and Rott, Adaptation in very old age: exploring the role of resources, beliefs, and attitudes for centenarians' happiness, Psychology and Aging 2006 Population study · centenarians No Indian study covers this.
12. Strength training at 90
    Ten frail nursing-home residents aged about 90, the oldest 96, did eight weeks of supervised strength training. The nine who finished more than doubled their strength (an average gain of 174%) and walked faster. A small study without a comparison group.
    Fiatarone et al., High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians, JAMA 1990 Small trial · 10 people aged 86–96 No study of people aged 100, and none from India, covers this.
13. Health at 100
    Among 112 German centenarians, people had on average five health conditions. Vision or hearing problems were the most common (94%), followed by mobility problems (72%). About 30% had frequent pain, and more than a third of those said it was more than they could bear.
    Jopp, Boerner and Rott, Health and disease at age 100: findings from the second Heidelberg Centenarian Study, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International 2016 Population study · 112 centenarians No Indian study covers this.
14. Sight, hearing and daily life
    Among 119 people averaging 99 years, 38% reported both poor sight and poor hearing, 17% poor sight only and 18% poor hearing only. Poor sight, alone or with poor hearing, was the strongest predictor of difficulty with daily tasks.
    Cimarolli and Jopp, Sensory impairments and their associations with functional disability in a sample of the oldest-old, Quality of Life Research 2014 Population study · 119 people aged 95–107 No Indian study covers this.
15. What the very old eat and take
    Across 34 studies of people aged 95 and over living at home, most ate a varied diet built on staples such as rice and wheat, with vegetables, fruit, and protein from legumes, fish or poultry; fewer than 20% preferred salty food. About half were a normal weight. They took on average 4.6 medicines, and about half took one for blood pressure.
    Dai et al., A systematic review of diet and medication use among centenarians and near-centenarians worldwide, GeroScience 2024 Systematic review · 34 studies Observational studies, none from India.
16. A broken hip at 100
    Across 23 studies of 6,970 centenarians who broke a hip, about half (53.8%) died within a year, and about half had a complication after treatment.
    Abelleyra Lastoria et al., Outcomes of hip fracture in centenarians: a systematic review and meta-analysis, European Geriatric Medicine 2023 Systematic review · 6,970 centenarians No Indian study covers this.
17. How centenarians die
    Of 35,867 people who died at 100 or over in England between 2001 and 2010, 28% had old age or frailty recorded as the cause and 18% pneumonia, both far more often than people dying at 80 to 84; cancer and heart disease were less common. 61% died in a care home and 27% in hospital. The authors call for care planned ahead, so that people can stay where they live.
    Evans et al., Place and cause of death in centenarians: a population-based observational study in England, 2001 to 2010, PLoS Medicine 2014 Population study · 35,867 centenarians No Indian study covers this.
18. What WHO means by healthy ageing
    WHO defines healthy ageing as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age: what a person can do, together with the support of the people and places around them.
    WHO, World report on ageing and health, 2015 WHO report
19. Genes across ordinary lifespans
    Using very large family trees, the heritability of lifespan across the whole population came out well below 10%, much lower than earlier estimates.
    Ruby et al., Estimates of the heritability of human longevity are substantially inflated due to assortative mating, Genetics 2018 Genetic study · family trees The whole population, not centenarians. No Indian study covers this.
20. Targets in very old age
    For people aged 80 and over, NICE advises a clinic blood pressure below 150/90, with clinical judgement for frailty and multiple conditions. Diabetes guidance relaxes sugar goals for older adults in poor health and puts avoiding low sugar first.
    NICE, Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NG136) Guideline · American Diabetes Association, Older adults: Standards of Care in Diabetes, Diabetes Care 2025 Guideline Guidelines for people over 80 or in poor health, not tested at 100. No Indian guideline sets targets for this age.
21. Helping people decide
    Start from the assumption that a person can make their own decisions, and give them the support and time they need to do so. Needing physical help is not a reason to decide for someone.
    NICE, Decision-making and mental capacity (NG108), 2018 Guideline A guideline for adults of every age. No Indian guideline covers everyday decisions.
22. How much to move after 65
    150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, muscle strengthening on 2 or more days, and varied activity that trains balance and strength on 3 or more days, to improve function and prevent falls. Those who cannot do this much should be as active as their abilities allow.
    WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, 2020 Guideline A guideline for adults over 65, not tested at 100.
23. Bed rest and muscle
    Ten days of bed rest made healthy older adults, average age 67, lose about 1 kg of muscle from their legs.
    Kortebein et al., Effect of 10 days of bed rest on skeletal muscle in healthy older adults, JAMA 2007 Experimental study · 12 adults Studied in adults around 67, not centenarians. No Indian study covers this.
24. Pets and falls
    In the United States about 86,600 people a year were treated in emergency departments for falls involving a dog or cat, 88% of them involving dogs, often from tripping over the animal or being pulled while walking it.
    CDC, Nonfatal fall-related injuries associated with dogs and cats, United States, 2001–2006, MMWR 2009 National surveillance People of every age, not centenarians. No Indian study covers this.
25. A safer home
    Home safety assessment and changes reduced falls, most clearly in people at higher risk of falling and when an occupational therapist did the assessment.
    Gillespie et al., Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community, Cochrane 2012 Systematic review · 159 trials Studied in adults over 60, not centenarians. No Indian review covers this.
26. Food at a great age
    Diet restrictions that may limit how much an older person eats are potentially harmful and should be avoided; food should be tasty, varied and adapted to the person's needs.
    Volkert et al., ESPEN practical guideline: clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics, Clinical Nutrition 2022 Guideline A guideline for older adults in general. No Indian guideline covers this.
27. Weight loss
    In adults over 65, losing 5% or more of body weight over 6 to 12 months without trying needs a doctor's assessment. Causes include cancer, depression, medicines, mouth and swallowing problems, and loneliness or low income. Sometimes no cause is found.
    Gaddey and Holder, Unintentional weight loss in older adults, American Family Physician 2021 Clinical review Advice for adults over 65, not specific to centenarians. No Indian guideline covers this.
28. Swallowing problems
    Older people with signs of a swallowing problem should be screened and assessed, and food and drink textures should be adapted to what they can swallow safely.
    Volkert et al., ESPEN practical guideline: clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics, Clinical Nutrition 2022 Guideline A guideline for older adults in general. No Indian guideline covers this.
29. Hearing, sight and memory
    Hearing loss and untreated vision loss are two of 14 changeable risk factors that together account for nearly half of dementia worldwide.
    Livingston et al., Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission, The Lancet 2024 Expert commission Adults of every age, not centenarians. No Indian study covers this.
30. Staying connected
    Across 148 studies, people with stronger social ties had about 1.5 times the odds of survival, an effect comparable to well-known risks such as smoking.
    Holt-Lunstad et al., Social relationships and mortality risk, PLoS Medicine 2010 Meta-analysis · 308,849 people, 148 studies Mostly younger adults, not centenarians.
31. Medicines to review after 65
    An expert list of medicines older adults should usually avoid or use with care. It includes benzodiazepine and ‘Z-drug’ sleeping pills, which raise the risk of confusion, falls and fractures, and medicines that need a lower dose when the kidneys work less well.
    American Geriatrics Society, 2023 Updated Beers Criteria, J Am Geriatr Soc 2023 Expert criteria A list for adults over 65. No Indian list covers this; brand names differ in India.
32. Delirium
    Delirium is a change in thinking and behaviour that starts over hours or days and can come and go. Some people become agitated; others become quiet, sleepy and withdrawn, which is easily missed. Age over 65 and dementia raise the risk, and 20 to 30% of people on medical wards have it.
    NICE, Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management (CG103), updated 2023 Guideline A guideline for adults of every age. No Indian guideline covers this.
33. Palliative care
    Palliative care relieves physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering for people with serious illness and their families. It works best started early, and can be given alongside treatments meant to prolong life.
    WHO, Palliative care fact sheet Fact sheet

Guidance changes as evidence grows. When it does, the guides and this list will be updated. Last updated 18 October 2026.