View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsNicola Zulli, 93, volunteers at a nursing home where he “takes care of the old people.”
Nicola Zulli does his own cooking and cleaning, goes to Mass four times a week, works crossword puzzles with diligence, and on Fridays, he volunteers at a nursing home where he takes care of the old people.
Never mind that Zulli is 93 years old.
I give them coffee or cocoa, whatever they want; and maybe I wipe their face off after they eat. They get so they look for me, said Zulli, barely suppressing a grin of satisfaction.
An appreciation for life, a friendly spirit and a healthy Italian diet lots of olive oil, garlic and a glass of wine every day these are things that Zulli credits for his long and healthy life.
Despite a diagnosis of inoperable heart disease, the South Hanover Twp. resident doesnt think much about his mortality. I didnt know when I was being born and I dont know when Ill die, Zulli said. And in between, I just love life.
While getting old is inevitable, its not necessarily a sentence to languish in a rocking chair. Its possible, experts say, to live long and live well.
It starts with your mindset. Do you think positively about life? said Dr. James Rich, an internist at Connor, Rich Associates in Camp Hill. Roosevelt set the retirement age at 65 back when life expectancy was 69. Now life expectancy is 79.5, but were still retiring at 65. We lose our purpose. We buy into a mindset that says, Im done when there could be so much more.
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsMary Langan, 95, still goes off the diving board when she swims in her son’s backyard pool.
Mary Langan isnt sitting still. At age 95, she still goes off the diving board when she swims in her sons backyard pool. She lives by herself in Hampden Twp. and drives to the Silver Sneakers fitness program at a nearby gym, to church or wherever else she gets a hankering to go.
Im going, going, going, said the mother of six whose only medication is a daily baby aspirin. I do take an afternoon nap.
Jon Stuckey, a social gerontologist associated with Messiah College in Grantham, said a sense of purpose is crucial as people age and much of that comes from staying connected to people and to a faith that recognizes theres more to life than just me.
Nothing happens magically when you turn 65. Its your life habits, your attitudes and your social patterns that matter, Stuckey said. The body of research on positive social relationships on every aspect of your life is stunning.
When studying groups of people who live long, healthy lives for his book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Whove Lived the Longest, author Dan Buettner identified common contributing lifestyle habits.
Eating right, built-in exercise, connectedness to faith, family and friends, and a purpose were the hallmarks of a long, quality life, Buettner found.
His premise is that if people adopted these practices, they could live at least another decade in good and happy health.
A sampling of central Pennsylvanias own blue zone revealed some of the same factors. At a recent gathering of nonagenarians at Richs office in Camp Hill, several common denominators emerged, including a resiliency attributed to growing up during the Depression, close relationships, faith that God watches over ones life and an active lifestyle with little TV time.
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsAnna Cirillo, 92, sees her walker as a tool that helps her keep her independence.
I used to think genes had a lot to do with living long, but I cant claim that. My dad died when I was 6 months old and my mom died at 69, said Anna Cirillo, who is 92 and lives alone in an independent living facility in Lower Allen Twp. Growing up, I had a good family and many friends. We played outside and there was none of this TV; it wasnt even invented yet.
Ethel Billington, 93, is still a farm girl at heart and credits time spent working in the fields of her familys New Bloomfield farm with growing her sturdy health. Next month, the Camp Hill resident will be one of only two surviving nursing students at her classs 73rd reunion.
My eyesight is a little bad, but Im in real good health, she declared, before being reminded by her doctor that she has high blood pressure. Oh, I forgot about that, she said, revealing another factor in living long and doing it well not obsessing over health issues.
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsEthel Billington, 93, has high blood pressure and her eyesight is a little bad, but she doesn’t obsess over health issues.
Good health is a major factor in the quality of life as one ages, Stuckey said. Im in defense of the crotchety old person who is that way because they dont have the ability to do what they want to do, he said. Yet attitude has much do to with it, too. You can find a person who is physically fit yet grumpy and those that are infirmed yet still finding meaning in life.
Cirillo must use a walker now due to an arthritic back. Yet, rather than view it as a hindrance, she chooses to see it as a tool that helps her keep her independence. With 30 overseas trips and much domestic travel under her belt, Cirillo said going places contributes to the sense of fun that she still enjoys in life.
Were not defeatists, said 87-year-old Lower Allen Twp. resident William Montone. We were raised during the Depression, but we never knew we were poor. We shared the things we had and our parents taught us the value of hard work and moral character by their example.
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsWilliam Montone, 87, drives to Philadelphia regularly to sing with the Union League of Philadelphia Glee Club.
Montone, whose tenor voice remains as clear as when he began singing back in parochial school, is making his second CD of Broadway tunes. Since he retired from his administrative post with the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association in 1986, Montone writes poetry and drives to Philadelphia regularly to sing with the Union League of Philadelphia Glee Club.
Mechanicsburg resident Victor Reda, 92, goes to the gym three days a week, where he walks a mile and a quarter on the treadmill and works out on 10 machines. A former service station owner, Reda said hes used to hard work and he believes that exercise keeps him strong and fit.
Zulli, who worked on the railroad for 42 years, kept himself busy after retirement by raising pigeons, steer and pigs.
Never too old for love, Zulli has a lady friend whose company he enjoys. His son, Philip Zulli, attributes his fathers longevity to the familys strong connectedness and his dads zest for life that did not die along with his wife five years ago.
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-NewsVictor Reda, 92, goes to the gym, where he walks and works out on machines three days a week.
There has been heartache for all those in the group. All the men are veterans of World War II. All the women are widows. Zulli lost a child to death. Reda buried his 11 siblings.
When discouragement comes, what do they do? They count their blessings and intentionally focus on something positive, they said.
Going to church is an important habit and knowing that God is in charge of their lives gives them confidence as they age, the group members said. They are not surprised to hear that Buettners research shows that attending faith-based services four times a month will add four to 14 years of life expectancy.
Laughter and a sense of humor punctuate much of the groups conversation, and Rich said they bring that same good humor to their medical appointments with him.
You dont wake up at 90 and become upbeat. This is their lifestyle, Rich said. They still have the thrill of the hunt.
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