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FRIDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- At 102, Marianne Crowder credits her longevity to a taste for change, a sunny attitude, and supportive family and friends.
"I'm interested in everything," the former dancer and exercise teacher from California said. "Absolutely. All the new things are wonderful. In fact, I have a new phone I'm using right now."
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"I'm surprised I've lived this long," the mother of two, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of another eight, added. "But I've always been well. Very healthy. I don't go to doctors, because I don't really need to. And people have always been wonderful to me. My two girls are exceptional, and I've had a very happy marriage and a very pleasant place to live. And I have a lot of friends, mostly my daughter's age, of course. That's the bad thing about getting old. Too many losses. But I'm perfectly happy."
Not surprisingly, a new survey reveals that Crowder's recipe for a long and happy life mirrors that of other centenarians.
What's more, poll results indicate that a significant number of centenarians practice what they preach by embracing the 21st century while maintaining 20th-century routines.
In fact, the 2008 "Evercare 100@100 Survey" -- the third incarnation of an annual snapshot of one hundred men and women who've crossed that major hurdle -- found that many among the extreme elderly are actively appropriating the cell phones, e-mail and Internet touchstones of far younger generations to keep abreast of personal affairs, politics and popular culture.
"My biggest surprise was the level of technology that people over 100 were using", said Dr. John Mach, a geriatrician and chairman of Minneapolis-based poll sponsor Evercare, a health insurance provider that focuses on coordinating care for the elderly and frail, those with chronic or advanced-stage illness, and/or the disabled.
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