115 and Counting for World’s Oldest Person

By Peter Elliott

Looking at sprouts of gray hair and bemoaning other signs of aging are pretty typical. But none of us have anything on Gertrude Baines.

Baines celebrated her 115th birthday Monday [Apr. 6th] in Los Angeles. She is believed to be the world’s oldest person. She has lived for the past decade at a convalescent home after working for years as a maid in Ohio University dormitories.

An African-American, her family history spans a mind-boggling spectrum. Her father is believed to be a freed slave. In November, local news coverage followed her when she voted for President Barack Obama.

On the USA Today Web site, she is pictured with her pastor Warren Smith; her doctor says that Baines owes “her longevity to the Lord” and her lifestyle. One of the first stories we published at Everyday Christian was about Edna Parker, a southern Indiana woman who died as the world’s oldest woman in November. In honoring her, her pastor spoke at length about her faith.

It strikes me that it would be nearly impossible to live to such an age without a sense of a greater purpose and enduring beliefs.

Some teach that the unnaturally advanced ages of Abraham, Moses and others Old Testament are metaphors that illustrate that a long life in the service of God points towards eternity. Baines and Parker are two modern examples of that connection between faith and a long life.

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Common Traits of the Long Lived
Byron Richards, CCN, Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The oldest living person, Gertrude Baines, just turned 115. The California resident was born April 6, 1894, in Shellman, Georgia, to parents who were born into slavery. As People.com reports: Baines enjoys life’s simple pleasures, such as extra crispy bacon and sweets, as well as daily viewings of “The Price Is Right” and “Jerry Springer.” Pressed for her secret to longevity, Baines begs off the question. “She prefers not to have the title [of world’s oldest],” says her nurse, Cynthia Thompson, who has looked after her for nine years and quotes Baines as saying, “Of all the people in the world, why do I have to be the one? I didn’t ask for this.”

It appears that the secret to her longevity may not be so mysterious, and may boil down to enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. A new study would suggest there is more to this behavioral approach than meets the eye. Researchers at the American Geriatrics Society have recently completed a study evaluating the behavioral traits of the children of centenarians.

The researchers found that these individuals had very low scores on neuroticism – meaning they didn’t fret and worry about the little things in life – or even the big things too much. They also had higher scores on extraversion – meaning they had desire and interest in others and in participating in activities. Women, but not men, were also found to be more agreeable with others (meaning less chance for conflict).

While different personality traits obviously have pros and cons depending on the given situation, this is an unmistakable pattern of behavior that is common in the long lived. Sometimes we evaluate the rightness of our behavioral traits based on solving a current situation or problem. But then we must pause and ask, “How right is that strategy if it ends up killing me?”

From a technical point of view it is easy to see that the net result of these behavioral traits is less wear and tear, in other words, less inflammation. The take home message is that no matter how you approach and deal with life, ensure you set aside time to relax and rejuvenate – the length of your life may depend on it.

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