Mom’s a Non-Denominational Rock of Ages

To the lady who asked me, a nonagenarian is someone in their nineties, not a religious denomination.

The population of Americans aged 90-plus nearly tripled in the past three decades, reaching 1.9 million in 2010, according to a new report released by the U.S. Census Bureau and supported by the National Institute on Aging.

Those in the 90-plus age range represent 4.7% of the 65-and-older population in the U.S., according to the report. This is up from 2.8% in 1980.

By the year 2050, the number of U.S. nonagenarians is expected to more than quadruple to roughly 8.7 million Americans. This age group should account for about 10% of all American seniors.

Traditionally, the cutoff age for what is considered the ‘oldest old’ has been age 85, but increasingly people are living longer and the older population itself is getting older. Given its rapid growth, the 90-and-older population merits a closer look.

Is 90 becoming the new 85?

Ask my mom and she will tell she doesn’t know and she doesn’t care.

She will let you know in no uncertain terms that she is nowhere near being ‘old’, much less  ‘oldest old’.

She will tell you, without any hesitation whatsoever, that she is six! And that’s it!

To be fair, there are times mom will tell you, without any hesitation whatsoever, she is two, too. But, women often shave off a few years of there age when asked, so I think she really means six.

So, when it comes to mom, throw the nonagenarian descriptor out the window.  To me, she is a genuine, one-of-a-kind rock of ages, and she is still rocking & rolling through life like she has since she first arrived on this planet anywhere from 6 to 92 years ago.