Vi Roden said she reads an average of 50 books a year, attends history lectures at her local seniors centre, and does yoga twice a week.
She鈥檚 101, and still lives in her own condo in West Vancouver, B.C.
鈥淚t never occurred to me that I would live this long,鈥� said Roden, a former Air Force typist who was 65 when she founded a charity for survivors of sexual abuse. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why, but I think it鈥檚 because I just enjoy every single day.鈥�
Joseph Novak, a 100-year-old Second World War veteran who lives in Whitehorse, lost his eyesight about a decade ago and spends his days listening to music and audiobooks.
Margaret Friend, 101, who lives in a long-term care home in Hamilton, was one of 14 children. Although she has dementia, she easily rattled off her siblings鈥� names 鈥� and noted that she was the only one left.
Lives as long as those of Roden, Novak and Friend, their challenges and joys, were once unlikely. But now they are part of a striking demographic phenomenon 鈥� Canada鈥檚 centenarian population is soaring.
Statistics Canada data show the country鈥檚 population of people aged at least 100 more than tripled between 2000 and 2023, up from 3,393 to 11,705. That makes centenarians the fastest growing age group in Canada, and the agency says their numbers are poised to rise almost ten times higher over the next half-century.
Experts attribute the rise to improvements in health care and medical awareness, although genetics likely plays a key role in individual cases.
Some relatives interviewed by The Canadian Press see their loved ones鈥� great longevity as a blessing, but a testing one. And medical professionals, sociologists and demographers are calling for policy changes to address issues faced by the centenarian population, such as dementia and social isolation.
Anne Martin-Matthews, a now-retired professor at the University of British Columbia, spent more than 40 years studying the sociology of aging.
鈥淧eople are living longer, and they鈥檙e in many ways healthier than they鈥檝e ever been,鈥� she said.
But she said sectors including health care and housing are largely unprepared for such an aging population despite decades of warning.
Statistics Canada on Monday released a forecast that the centenarian population would hit 106,100 by 2073, under a medium-growth scenario that would also see the population of people aged 85 or over more than tripling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 with some surprise that we find ourselves now in 2024 and we鈥檙e still talking about how to plan for an aging population, (though) we have known for 50 years that this was coming,鈥� Martin-Matthews said.
鈥淐ertainly, this is a vibrant, vital population but the issue is how we, as a society, are positioned to provide assistance and support when it鈥檚 needed in later life, and that鈥檚 where I think we鈥檝e not lived up to the expectations.鈥�
Bill Hamill, 100, moved from Ontario to Gibsons, B.C., in 2015 after he lost his longtime partner, 96-year-old Thelma Weeks. Hamill now lives with his 70-year-old daughter, Mary Lou Hamill, in a duplex a few blocks from the town鈥檚 main strip.
The house is divided into two parts, allowing the father and daughter to maintain their independence. Bill lives in an apartment on the main floor, while Mary Lou Hamill stays in a suite upstairs.
She said she checks on her father every day and buys his groceries, but he is still able to cook and entertain himself.
Her father said he enjoys living in Gibsons, on B.C.鈥檚 Sunshine Coast about 50 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, and is often seen on his twice-daily walks around the neighbourhood.
But the war veteran, who took part in D-Day operations 80 years ago, now lives a solitary life.
鈥淥f course, I鈥檓 lonely,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome days I don鈥檛 talk to a person.鈥�
鈥楪OOD FOR THE BODY 鈥� GOOD FOR THE BRAIN鈥�
Hamill said the secret to his longevity 鈥� and his life motto 鈥� is 鈥渆verything in moderation.鈥�
Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor in geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia, said many potential factors could be at play when someone reaches 100.
鈥淲e know that one of those factors has to do with the fact that people are more aware of health conditions that may have in the past limited life expectancy,鈥� Wong said.
Research suggests that a combination of public health and medical improvements have contributed to the rise in centenarians. Studies show that on an individual level, staying active, eating well and managing stress are important for long lives, but genetics also play a big part.
It鈥檚 not just in Canada 鈥� the number of centenarians is booming around the world. They made up only about one out of every 200,000 people in the world in 1950, according to the United Nations. By 2021, the global rate was about 13 times higher.
But Canada has a much bigger share than most countries, per capita. Statistics Canada reports that the centenarian rate last year was about 29 per 100,000 population, compared with 6.9 per 100,000 globally in 2020.
And it鈥檚 not just the centenarian population that is on the rise. Between 2000 and 2023, Canada鈥檚 population of people in their 90s rose 175 per cent to 344, 273, while those in their 80s was up 89 per cent to 1.46 million. At the same time, the total population of Canada was up by 30 per cent, driven mainly by immigration, and the population of children aged up to nine rose 4.6 per cent.
As Canada鈥檚 elderly population rises, the number of people with cognitive decline is also set to increase, said Wong. He said projections suggest Canadians living with dementia 鈥渨ill go up three times in the next 30 years.鈥�
That鈥檚 even as the actual rate of dementia decreases worldwide, likely due to better nutrition, exercise, and preventive behaviours, said Martin-Matthews.
Centenarian Margaret Friend was upbeat as she took part in a Zoom interview, telling stories from her life and describing the activities she likes in her care home: bingo, bowling, watching television.
Her son, Jim Friend 鈥� who attributes his mother鈥檚 longevity to 鈥済ood genes鈥� 鈥� sat in on the interview and said some days her memory is better than others.
鈥淚n the last year, it has been very noticeable and the decline is becoming more prevalent. It has been a learning curve for me personally,鈥� he said.
Throughout the interview, Margaret often repeated the same phrase: 鈥淢y parents were strict.鈥� Her son tried to keep her on track, sometimes restating the questions.
鈥淪he鈥檚 still with us and we鈥檙e very thankful for that, but it鈥檚 been a challenge in all honesty,鈥� he said.
Short-term memory loss was a common concern among centenarians interviewed by The Canadian Press, even among those whose stories of a long life flow freely.
Hamill in Gibsons, for example, 鈥渞emembers things vividly鈥� when asked about his time in the military.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked for the railway. I lived in Africa for five years, and I was attached to the Royal Canadian Air Force, and we bombed D-Day at 6:10 in the morning. That was a sight you鈥檇 never want to see,鈥� he said.
Ask him about something more recent? 鈥淚t鈥檚 yesterday I have trouble with,鈥� he said with a laugh.
Others seem to have no such problems.
Roden, the yoga fan from West Vancouver, vividly described the 鈥渨onderful afternoon鈥� spent celebrating her 101st birthday on a recent Sunday at a granddaughter鈥檚 farm in Cloverdale. Guests included all six grandchildren, her 10 great-grandchildren and a llama.
鈥淎nd they are huge, and he came right up to me and he blew in my face,鈥� laughed Roden, as she recalled her encounter with the llama.
In addition to yoga, Roden is in a book club and is 鈥渧ery involved in politics.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in extremely good health, and I鈥檓 very lively, and I like to get involved in situations,鈥� she said.
Wong said science shows 鈥渨hat鈥檚 good for the body is also good for the brain.鈥�
鈥淲e know that exercise, socialization, prevention of stroke, and interestingly, fixing hearing loss and hearing problems, these are some of the things that are really helpful to keep in the brain healthy,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat said, we still have a long way to go, because there are many things that we can do to prevent deterioration.鈥�
Wong said social isolation is a huge issue facing this population, most of whom live alone.
Centenarians have typically outlived their siblings, childhood friends and partners. Hamill, who had nine siblings, and Friend, one of 14, are such examples.
Novak, from Whitehorse, misses Mary, his wife of 73 years, terribly. She died in 2019, within three months of their eldest son, Peter. 鈥淵ou can imagine how bad (2019) was for me,鈥� said Novak, who lives in a senior care residence.
鈥淢ary was an exceptional girl and she also made me the better man that I am today,鈥� he said.
Novak said the beginning of June brought back 鈥渟ad memories鈥� as it marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the anniversary of Mary鈥檚 death. 鈥淏ut life must go on, the best you can,鈥� he said.
Wong said that loneliness has been shown to have negative health impacts. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 not just about living to an old age, it鈥檚 their whole journey and experience,鈥� Wong said, before adding that鈥漧iving alone does not necessarily mean that a person is lonely.鈥�
鈥淲hat we are looking for is the connectivity with others,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e know for example, that exercise, physical activities, visualization, this social connectivity are all important.鈥�
Martin-Matthews, who previously served as the scientific director of the Institute of Aging, also emphasized the importance of social connection.
鈥淭hat is crucial as we get older,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, that鈥檚 family ties, or friendship ties or whatever they may be, but having that sense of social connection is absolutely vital as we get older.鈥�
鈥楪RACE AND HUMOUR鈥�
As the population of centenarians continues to rise, experts worry that the questions of how they will be housed and cared for have gone largely unaddressed by authorities, despite years of warnings.
Those issues have knock-on effects for their children, who are typically elderly themselves. Mark Rosenberg, a geographer and professor emeritus at Queen鈥檚 University, Kingston, Ont., said the issue 鈥渋s going to be hard to sort out.鈥�
He said this type of scenario often comes at a high cost for the caregiver, who is also aging and often lacks the 鈥渆nergy and strength鈥� to take care of a person who needs more and more help.
He flagged an urgent need to create 鈥渕any more housing alternatives鈥� for seniors.
He said older people typically have two options: to stay in their own homes or move into long-term care.
鈥淭here鈥檚 very little in between, particularly for people who are low income, or even middle income,鈥� he said.
And the longer people live, the more their resources dwindle, he said.
鈥淥nce they retire, for most older people, they鈥檙e living off of their pensions, and pensions are rarely, in this day and age, keeping up with the cost of living,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, they鈥檙e slowly running down their assets.鈥�
鈥淢y feeling is that people who don鈥檛 have really strong social networks are more and more likely, as they approach 100, to find themselves alone with fewer resources to manage the everyday challenges of their lives.鈥�
Martin-Matthews said the biggest issues that need addressing are improving care facilities and community assistance for those still living at home. She said the COVID-19 pandemic and high mortality rates in long-term care homes showcased 鈥渉orrific conditions, understaffing and overcrowding.鈥�
鈥淢any of us assumed it would be a wake-up call, in terms of how we are dealing with the care of frail, elderly people in the last years of their lives, and it didn鈥檛 change. Nothing鈥檚 changed,鈥� she said.
Martin-Matthews also noted the increasing trend of children, like Mary Lou Hamill, who are also over the age of 65, taking care of very elderly parents.
Bill Hamill, who turns 101 in August, said he was grateful that he could move to B.C. to live with his daughter after the deaths of a son then his partner Thelma in Ontario. 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be staying in Toronto but I鈥檓 glad I didn鈥檛 because I really need her,鈥� Hamill said of his daughter.
He flipped through a photobook he was gifted for his 100th birthday, and pointed to a black-and-white photo of six young men in suits.
鈥淭hat was my wedding night,鈥� he said without hesitation. The photo depicts him and his brothers, who served as his groomsman.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all gone,鈥� he said matter-of-factly. 鈥淚鈥檓 from a family of 10 kids and I was number seven. My last brother just died a couple of months ago, and so I鈥檓 the last of my generation.鈥�
But he said he was still optimistic.
鈥淩ight now, there鈥檚 not much to complain about other than getting up throughout the night, but evidently that happens to most old guys,鈥� he joked.
Roden, too, sees the lighter side of her unexpected longevity. It comes easily to a woman who says the biggest challenge of being 101 is to 鈥渟tay upright.鈥�
鈥淕rowing old, a friend asked me what it was like, and I said, I think you have to do it with grace and humour,鈥� said Roden.
She added: 鈥淚 think you have to laugh at yourself sometimes. 鈥業 can鈥檛 do that. I can鈥檛 do this.鈥� You just laugh, laugh at yourself.鈥�
And then she did.
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