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Why are we living longer and what does that mean for us?

Did you know that the 9 Irish people who lived over 110 years were all women? More of us are living for longer than ever before and although healthy living helps, it’s not the only reason. The number exceeding the age, not of just 100, but of 110 is going to increase.  Katherine Plunket who was the second longest living Irish woman, was born in 1820 and lived for almost 112 years, all the more impressive when you consider she was born almost two centuries ago when life expectancy was much lower than it is now, not to mention living through the Great Famine too.

Those living over 110 years are referred to as super-centenarians and apparently it won’t be long until we will be talking about people who have lived to over 115 years. The number of centenarians in Ireland will increase as so will the number of super-centenarians.

More people each year are turning the century too. Last year, 407 Irish people worldwide turned 100 and received the centanarian bounty. 626 Irish people worldwide aged over 101 or over received a commemorative coin, 355 of whom were Irish residents.

Kathleen Snavely died this year and is the oldest recorded Irish person to have lived. She lived in New York, emigrating there aged 19. She lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and 18 American presidents. She died in her 114th year and credited great genetics for her longevity. Research suggests that genetics and a healthy lifestyle play the biggest part in longevity of life.

What does this mean for us as a society if so many more of us are going to live until we are over 100? If retiring at 68, we might enjoy three or four decades of retirement. Yes, it means there will be more pressure on us to save for our retirement funds, we’ll have to plan for the financial aspect as well as the health aspect of our retirements with care being something we should all consider – not necessarily nursing home care at all, but needing some level of home help to assist us maintain our independent living.

If you’re a regular reader of our Comfort Keepers blog, you’ll know that we are running a recruitment drive to employ more home carers as we’ve found that demands for excellent, professional home carers are increasing. More people are living longer. People prefer to stay living in their own homes, in their own communities, with their favourite things around them. In the past, it was expected that once people received a diagnosis of dementia, that they would be going into a nursing home quite quickly but many many people live happily and safely at home for years after a diagnosis – all they need is a little help from a home carer. Some people get an hourly visit every day, some get an hourly visit a couple of times a week, others might get two 30 or 45 minutes visits daily – it all depends on their needs at that particular time.

Home Care Vacancies

If you would like to work with older people, providing care, either as a full-time or part-time role, do check out our vacancies or get in touch.

Want to find out more about what care services suit your needs best?

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