The Secret to a Long Life is Family, Attitude and Keeping Busy

Marjorie Bedford celebrated her 100th birthday. She keeps positive, stays busy and has surrounded herself with family and friends throughout her life.The number of Canadians living to 100 and beyond reached a record high in 2021. Marjorie got there by keeping busy, having a loving family and enjoying life's small pleasures.New figures released by Statistics Canada show that the number of Canadians aged 100 or older has increased from just 1,065 in 1971 to 9,545 in the 2021 census. Most Canadian centenarians — 7,715 — are women.The increase can't be explained by simple population growth. In 1971, just 4.9 people out of every 100,000 Canadians were 100 or older; in 2021, it was 25.8 per 100,000.Dan Levitt, CEO, KinVillage says “We are living much longer now thanks to improved drug therapies and vaccines, coupled with a more active lifestyle”.  “KinVillage's programs and services offer older adults with ways of getting out in the world, walking more, more physical exercise with a direct relation between longevity and movement.  Another risk factor is loneliness which shortens lives and people today have more ways to stay in touch than previous generations did. Another big factor to longer lives is less smoking."Marjorie's friends and family are looking forward to her 101st birthday next Spring and expect she will continue to live and celebrate another one after that.When younger people ask centenarians what they could do to follow in their footsteps to live a long and healthy life, they are often offered some simple advice: The message is simple - Don’t Worry Be Happy!