Profiles of centenarians' functioning: linking functional and cognitive capacity with depressive symptoms.

Background: Despite most centenarians facing age-related declines in functional and cognitive capacities, the severity of these declines varies among individuals, as does the maintenance of good mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms) despite these declines.

Cognition, function, and prevalent dementia in centenarians and near-centenarians: An individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of 18 studies.

Introduction: There are limited data on prevalence of dementia in centenarians and near-centenarians (C/NC), its determinants, and whether the risk of dementia continues to rise beyond 100.

Methods: Participant-level data were obtained from 18 community-based studies (N = 4427) in 11 countries that included individuals ≥95 years. A harmonization protocol was applied to cognitive and functional impairments, and a meta-analysis was performed.

Valuation of Life Among Old and Very Old Adults: Comparison Between Germany and Japan.

Background And Objectives: Valuation of life (VOL) represents a construct capturing individuals' active attachment to their life. The majority of studies on VOL were conducted in North America and Europe where personal autonomy and independence are highly valued, leaving open the question about the relevance of this construct in interdependence-oriented cultures. Using a framework of cross-cultural and life-span theories, the present study compared levels and predictors of VOL between the young-old and old-old individuals from Germany and Japan.

Thinking About the End of Life When It Is Near: A Comparison of German and Portuguese Centenarians.

This study examined how common thinking of and planning for the end of life (EOL) is among German and Portuguese centenarians, and whether patterns of EOL views are shaped by cultural and individual characteristics. A significant portion of centenarians in both countries reported not thinking about the EOL, not believing in the afterlife, and not having made EOL arrangements. Latent class analysis identified three EOL patterns: Class 1 (), Class 2 (), and Class 3 ().

Centenarians' End-of-Life Thoughts and Plans: Is Their Social Network on the Same Page?

Objectives: To explore how centenarians think about and plan for the end of life (EOL) and to what extent their primary contacts (proxy informants) are aware of these thoughts.

Design: Population-based study with semistructured in-person interviews.

Setting: Defined geographical region approximately 60 km around Heidelberg, Germany.

Health and Disease at Age 100.

Background: Centenarian studies from around the world have shown that reaching age 100 typically involves substantial health issues. The present study adds to the existing knowledge from other countries by describing health conditions in German centenarians.

Methods: A total of 112 centenarians or their primary contacts provided information on acute and chronic health conditions and pain in the context of the Second Heidelberg Centenarian Study (mean age = 100.

Life at Age 100: An International Research Agenda for Centenarian Studies.

Living a long life is desired by many individuals, and this dream is likely to become reality in more and more industrialized societies. During the past 3 decades, the number of very old individuals has increased significantly, creating a global demographic challenge with consequences at the individual, family, and societal levels. Yet, life in very old age is still poorly understood in terms of its unique characteristics and challenges.

Whom Do Centenarians Rely on for Support? Findings From the Second Heidelberg Centenarian Study.

This paper provides a detailed picture of the sources and types of informal support available to centenarians, depending on their housing and care arrangements. Participants were 112 centenarians and 96 primary contacts of centenarians enrolled in the population-based Second Heidelberg Centenarian Study. Findings indicate that children of centenarians were their primary source of support in daily life.

Measuring attachment to life in old age: the Portuguese version of the Positive Valuation of Life Scale (Positive VOL).

Purpose: This study aims to present the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Positive Valuation of Life Scale (Lawton et al. in J Aging Ment Healt 13:3-31, 2001).

Method: Sample included 207 community-dwelling elders (129 women; M Age = 77.

Is aging in place a resource for or risk to life satisfaction?

Purpose: Given age-related health restrictions, the importance of the environment for life satisfaction may increase in later life. This study investigated whether objective and perceived physical and social environmental aspects of the home and of the surrounding neighborhood represent resources for or risks to life satisfaction among young-old and old-old individuals.

Design And Methods: A population-based sample of 381 community-dwelling individuals aged 65-94 years reported on their sociophysical environment and life satisfaction using questionnaires.

Valuation of life in old and very old age: the role of sociodemographic, social, and health resources for positive adaptation.

Purpose: Valuation of life (VOL) represents a construct capturing active attachment to life put forward by M. P. Lawton (e.

Age differences and changes of coping behavior in three age groups: findings from the Georgia Centenarian Study.

With increasing age, older adults are more likely to be challenged by an increasing number of physical, functional and social losses. As a result, coping with losses becomes a central theme in very late life. This study investigated age differences and age changes in active behavioral, active cognitive and avoidance coping and related coping to adaptational outcomes, such as physical and mental health.

Adaptation in very old age: exploring the role of resources, beliefs, and attitudes for centenarians' happiness.

When individuals reach very old age, accumulating negative conditions represent a serious challenge to their capacity to adapt and are likely to reduce the quality of life. By examining happiness and its determinants in centenarians, this study investigated the proposal that psychological resilience may come to an end in extremely old age. Data from the population-based Heidelberg Centenarian Study indicated high levels of happiness.

Cognitive status and development in the oldest old: a longitudinal analysis from the Heidelberg Centenarian Study.

In the present study, we investigated cognitive status, cognitive development and the effect of mortality on cognitive changes in very old age. Analyzing data from the population-based Heidelberg Centenarian Study, results revealed that centenarians differed quite strongly in their cognitive capacities. While about half of the population showed moderate to severe cognitive impairment, one quarter was found to be cognitively intact.

The German Center for Research on Aging at the University of Heidelberg: an interdisciplinary approach.

In September 1995, the German Center for Research on Aging at the University of Heidelberg had been founded to become a leading national center of excellence with a clear interdisciplinary scope of ageing research activities. So far, three departments have been built up successively: the Department of Social and Environmental Gerontology (established in 1997, chair: Prof. Hans-Werner Wahl), the Department of Adult Development (established in 1998, provisional chair: Prof.