HJNO Sep/Oct 2022

46 SEP / OCT 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN  SENIOR HEALTH SCIENTISTS consider centenarians valu- able to study because they are typical examples of successful aging, but what is “successful aging?” As my own curios- ity around centenarians and the answer to that question grew, I developed what I thought were the right questions to an- swer that very thought. However, three questions into my first interview with one centenarian, Joan Oppenheim, she replied, “These common demographic questions you ask don’t tell you about my life. My life didn’t even start until after the war, after Pearl Harbor.” I was dumbfounded and intrigued. I thought starting with basic questions was a good approach, but ap- parently, those are the questions asked of centenarians all the time. I took a breath, refocused, put down my pencil, and simply said, “Please, tell me what you want to tell me.”And so, she began. Joan Oppenheim was born in 1921, al- though she didn’t look it in her brightly colored, chic print pants and her makeup perfectly in place. She chatted with me for a couple of hours, and as I left, I smiled and felt I had just made a new friend. One of her comments that resonated with me was that in life, there are times that you come to a “fork in the road,” and you must de- cide which way to go. There will always be “what if’s,” and sometimes there is simply “no time for regrets.” Her poised sense of confidence began to rub off on me. I believe my passion and drive to work with older adults are a result of having grown up with only one grandparent. I discovered in college that I wanted that human connection; I needed it. Today, I am blessed to be surrounded by over two hundred seniors including some cente- narians. Many hours, after interviewing centenarians residing at Lambeth House, my heart was filled with wonderful stories that rejuvenated me and reminded me of why I love working with older adults. Did I learn what “successful aging” is? Maybe not, but I felt I had touched a few lives of people living over 100 years! And they had touched mine. From the five female centenarians I in- terviewed, I heard a little bit about war, family, romance, spirituality, and creativity, but none of them truly knew the ultimate Lessons Learned fromCentenarians: A FEEL-GOOD STORY! Joan Oppenheim with Lambeth House neighbors, Dr. Fred Hunter, Gene Preaus, and Bill Kearney.