In May CBS's programme 60 minutes aired this segment about the factors that determine that we will make it past age 90?
This is the way reporter Lesley Stahl introduced the segment:
'It's always been a dream of mankind to live forever. Since the start of the 20th century, we have increased life expectancy in this country by a remarkable 30 years -from just 49 in 1900, to almost 79 today. And more and more of us are making it into that group we all hope -and kinda dread- joining, the over 90 crowd, affectionately dubbed "the oldest old."
Men and women above the age of 90 are now the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Yet very little is known about the oldest old, since until recently, there were so few of them. So what determines which of us will make it past age 90? What kind of shape we'll be in if we do? And what can we do now to up our odds? Finding out is the goal of a groundbreaking research study known as "90+."
You can read the transcript here.
