My 70 year-old neighbor's parents are still alive, is this shocking?

[Daydreaming98]

He just turned 70 last month and he just celebrated Father's Day with the whole family, including his father. His parents are still alive, wow. His mother is 89 years old and his father is 92 years old. They have 4 children (including him), 6 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and their very first great-great grandchild (a baby girl) is 6 months old. Their female great-granddaughter got pregnant by her HS sweetheart, both are 17 year-olds and both are equally involved in the baby's life.

Quite rare indeed. Do you find it shocking when someone is over 60 years old and their parents are still alive?

[abc3643]

Late US Senator John S. McCain III, Republican from Arizona and the GOP nominee for President in 2008, was 4 days short of turning 82 when he passed away in August 2018. His mother was 106.5 at his funeral.

Born in February 1912, she died in October 2020 at the age of 108 y 8 m.

I am 61 and my mother is 81 so there is a good chance my mom with be alive when I am 70... if I make it to 70 which I would not bet on.

[Daydreaming98]

It must've been still painful for her to lose her child before her time. I'm willing to bet she would've trade places with him if she had the chance. That's the other negative side. What if you live such a long life but your child dies before and you're don't even have dementia? It must be awful.

[abc3643]

She lost 2 children before she died. In November 2019, her daughter and eldest child died at age 85. Currently, her youngest child is alive at age 82.

[Daydreaming98]

Poor lady. She must've been devastated at the time. For sure no parent wants to outlive their child. May she rest in peace. That's a long age, wow.

[WindAtMyBack]

Not that rare. I've known several people like that. I knew a guy who died last fall at 98. I've known him my entire life. His kids were 70, 68 and 66.

I know a 96 year old who is still alive. Her son is 66. I also know a 94 year old with a son who is 67 and daughter who is 66. The spouses of both of them also lived into their 90s.

Most of those old guys that I knew have died by now, but some are still around.

[Daydreaming98]

Several people are living longer nowadays. At one point the norm was your early 80's but now it's extended.

[WindAtMyBack]

Life expectancy is the life expectancy from birth. So the decrease in infant mortality has had a huge impact on life expectancy.

It might seem counter intuitive, but for example my life expectancy is longer than yours. That's because there is a chance you could die before you reach my age, and I've already gotten past that. Here in the US, that's also how they do it with Social Security calculations. The life expectancy for someone two years older than me is longer than my own.

Anyway, with modern medicine, there are a lot of things we can live through today that would have been sure death just 20-30 years ago.

We are also making some progress with life style choices that kill people. Smoking is a good example. The number of smokers has decreased dramatically. That alone should cause a measurable increase in average life expectancy. On the other hand people are getting fatter and getting less exercise.

[DryGermanGuy]

That should be considered quite normal in the Western world. My last two grandparents died aged 95 and 95, respectively. I have read that statistically every second woman born in the 21st century should reach the age of 100.

[Daydreaming98]

With the advances of medical attention and care, it makes it possible for people to live much longer than in the past. The life expectancy has indeed increased.

[RavVid]

What I found funny once was a 70 yo calling his father a silly old fool for cutting up some wood with an ax.
"Took the ax off him of course and cut the firewood up myself" Had to laugh.

[Daydreaming98]

Wow. Cool story.

[RavVid]

People in the high country seem to stay vigorous for longer. Your question/story brought it back to mind so thank you.

[Anonymous]

No. That's just the viewpoint of your age. When I was your age I thought my age was old.

They say the first person to live forever is alive right now (I'm not saying I agree). But what they mean is we keep learning how to treat people better and extend life. They're saying within 50 years. They'll be able to extend life another 100 (meaning if you're just being born now in 50 years. You be able to live to over 150). And from then on they'll be able to extend life so far that it'll surpass the time it takes us to age. There y essentially making us immortal.

Again I don't agree with this.

[slatyb]

It's not shocking at all. May people are living to 90-odd. My wife's mother did, and her grandmother lived to 102.

[Daydreaming98]

It's likely your wife will be long-lived too. I have to admit our life expectancy has increased over the years. What once was until your late 70's or early 80's, now it can be 90+ to 100.

[DarkLegacy]

I wouldn't call it shocking, it does not happen very often but there are some people in their 80s whos parents are still alive. It is possible to live to 100 and have parents still alive.

[Daydreaming98]

yeah nowadays it's more possible to live longer than in the past. The life expectancy was much lower than now.

[Twalli]

Not really. I have a coworker whose mother recently died and she (the coworker,) is in her late 60s.

[exitseven]

People are living longer so this is not a surprise

[Theodoricus]

It's possible. For example my mother was 14 when I was born.

[Daydreaming98]

yeah that's a kid. Assuming that she were to live until 100, you would be 86 by then. Nowadays people are living longer.

[Theodoricus]

Exactly!

[jamesgoldman]

It's not that surprising as people live longer and they used to have kids earlier

[Ivan1764]

I have seen people living longer than 125 years. I personally wouldn't want to live in this world for that long.

[Daydreaming98]

yeah that's too long. I wouldn't want to be bedridden, probably my memory lacking by then and with people assisting my needs.

[shortster]

70 is less than the life expectancy. So not really.

[RedInnocent69]

No. People are living longer.

[Peridot25]

What age are we suppose to die at? 😅

[Daydreaming98]

It used to be the early 80's but nowdays several people are living much longer.

[DreamLife7]

No lol my aunt lived to be 98