Life expectancy in DR is 73.7 years

[AlterEgo]

Both of Mr.AE's parents died at age 92 in Santo Domingo, and my suegra's older sister died two years ago at age 99. His father's brother is in his 90s and still going strong in Los Minas.

I think his father would have lived much longer with proper medical care, he was diabetic but didn't use his meter, just took the same insulin dose each day without knowing his sugar levels. Nothing we said changed that. We'd bring down huge food-service boxes of Splenda, but I think he still mostly used sugar in his coffee. A lot of ignorance to health issues in DR.

 

[flyinroom]

Both of Mr.AE's parents died at age 92 in Santo Domingo, and my suegra's older sister died two years ago at age 99. His father's brother is in his 90s and still going strong in Los Minas.

I think his father would have lived much longer with proper medical care, he was diabetic but didn't use his meter, just took the same insulin dose each day without knowing his sugar levels. Nothing we said changed that. We'd bring down huge food-service boxes of Splenda, but I think he still mostly used sugar in his coffee. A lot of ignorance to health issues in DR.

Well......They DO say that "ignorance is bliss".
There just might be something to that.
I think that in this day and age anybody who reaches their 90's has done pretty well.
I don't expect to go much beyond my seventies what with all my high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and blocked arteries.
I am a firm believer that once you're in the system......they've got you.
Regular doctors visits, tests of all varieties, every oriface is checked and double checked, pills, pills and more pills.....It is a never ending process.
Anyways, my money probably wouldn't hold out until my 90's so I'll gladly bow out a little earlier.
Plus, I fear senility. aranoid:

 

[dv8]

no offence but i find old age to be gross. chances to live long, in good health and fully capable are low. f**k this. i am going to spend all my money pulling my face like joan rivers.

 

[the gorgon]

Well......They DO say that "ignorance is bliss".
There just might be something to that.
I think that in this day and age anybody who reaches their 90's has done pretty well.
I don't expect to go much beyond my seventies what with all my high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and blocked arteries.
I am a firm believer that once you're in the system......they've got you.
Regular doctors visits, tests of all varieties, every oriface is checked and double checked, pills, pills and more pills.....It is a never ending process.
Anyways, my money probably wouldn't hold out until my 90's so I'll gladly bow out a little earlier.
Plus, I fear senility. aranoid:

here's wishing you do see ninety, fly.

 

[Salsafan]

I know my life expectancy is max 69 years: when I retire at 66 and move to DR I'll survive max 3 years.

 

[AlterEgo]

I know my life expectancy is max 69 years: when I retire at 66 and move to DR I'll survive max 3 years.

OMG Salsafan, why would you say that???? Think positive!!!

My maternal grandparents died at 63 + 68, and their eldest son is now 92 and going strong, my mom died at 86, but she had an adhesion wrap around her intestine and cause a blockage. She had easy, successful surgery - she died because the anesthesia was too strong for her and she never came out of it for 6 weeks

 

[Castle]

Life is about living. I don't care how long I live as long as I get to bet a fully active person when I die. I don't want to be 100 and not know my name. If I can still joke, enjoy a cold beer and at least say something nice to a beautiful lady, I don't care if I'm 120...

 

[flyinroom]

If we are to judge by our parents I would be in deep, deep doodoo.
Both mom and dad passed away at the early age of 57.
I was so severely traumatized by how early we lost them that I spent years believing I wouldn't make it past 57.
Once I did.......I was a little lost.
No longer having that to worry about now I just worry about the moolah holding out and if my mind will stay strong.
You guessed it...Haha.
I come from a long line of worriers.
I must admit it sure seems weird to be, in effect, betting against myself.
But quite frankly, the thought of being bed-ridden or out to lunch does not appeal.
Neither does the thought of having to depend on government money that probably won't be there.
As long as I can still laugh about it I guess all's well. :classic:

 

[the gorgon]

If we are to judge by our parents I would be in deep, deep doodoo.
Both mom and dad passed away at the early age of 57.
I was so severely traumatized by how early we lost them that I spent years believing I wouldn't make it past 57.
Once I did.......I was a little lost.
No longer having that to worry about now I just worry about the moolah holding out and if my mind will stay strong.
You guessed it...Haha.
I come from a long line of worriers.
I must admit it sure seems weird to be, in effect, betting against myself.
But quite frankly, the thought of being bed-ridden or out to lunch does not appeal.
Neither does the thought of having to depend on government money that probably won't be there.
As long as I can still laugh about it I guess all's well. :classic:

stiff upper lip, and all that rot....

 

[william webster]

If we are to judge by our parents I would be in deep, deep doodoo.
Both mom and dad passed away at the early age of 57.
I was so severely traumatized by how early we lost them that I spent years believing I wouldn't make it past 57.
Once I did.......I was a little lost.
No longer having that to worry about now I just worry about the moolah holding out and if my mind will stay strong.
You guessed it...Haha.
I come from a long line of worriers.
I must admit it sure seems weird to be, in effect, betting against myself.
But quite frankly, the thought of being bed-ridden or out to lunch does not appeal.
Neither does the thought of having to depend on government money that probably won't be there.
As long as I can still laugh about it I guess all's well. :classic:

I have a friend in whose family not one male had made it past 54..... he was frantic... the closer he got to 54 , the more trips he took, balloon rides, etc.

He made it.... a new record for the family males every day now.


I agree with enjoying life and not wanting to drool myself to death.

The Hemlock Society may be an option.........

 

[Naked_Snake]

i will add that in the 1960 life expectancy in DR was 52 years:
HISTORY OF LIFE EXPECTANCY
so while some might have lived long, majority did not. and yes, maybe the food was better but diseases were rampant and the access to hospitals, medicine and doctors was low.

Yes, but the people that survived childhood got to have long lives, generally speaking. What affected the life expectancy the most in those decades were the infant mortality rates. Once the problem was alleviated a bit, the population here was able to play catch up with the one of the Haitian part of the island, even despite the fact the average number of children per family here dropped and theirs have kept constant.

 

[Naked_Snake]

You could be right, but remember that I do genealogy dv8. I have their birth certificates. The grandfather died before I came into the family, but I knew the grandmother for 3 years. I'll always remember her birth and death, because our son was born on her 100th birthday, and she died the day we landed in SD when our son was 5 months old, she was waiting to meet her first great-grandson. It was my introduction into Dominican funerals - she had planned ahead and had her casket standing up in the corner of a bedroom. They laid her out in the livingroom. Quite a surprise for the gringa.

I find her disbelief to be surprising, considering the fact that she lives in the region were the majority of our superannuated persons live. Juan Bosch and Joaquin Balaguer were two examples of said group (the first from La Vega and the other and his sisters from Navarrete).

 

[AlterEgo]

I find her disbelief to be surprising, considering the fact that she lives in the region were the majority of our superannuated persons live. Juan Bosch and Joaquin Balaguer were two examples of said group (the first from La Vega and the other and his sisters from Navarrete).

Ah, I was unaware of that fact. The 100 yr old grandmother was from Navarrete [Beco/Vesco], and the 106 yr old grandfather was from Mao/Los Armacigos........

 

[Naked_Snake]

Ah, I was unaware of that fact. The 100 yr old grandmother was from Navarrete [Beco/Vesco], and the 106 yr old grandfather was from Mao/Los Armacigos........

Yeah. My own paternal grandpies (God bless them) from Mao are close to the mark themselves (having been born in 1919). While she dismisses the birth certificates, we can always count with the baptismal registries from the local church, specially since baptisms here were made when the child was mere days old.

 

[PeterInBrat]

I know my life expectancy is max 69 years: when I retire at 66 and move to DR I'll survive max 3 years.

When I was growing up, my dad was convinced he was going to die at 65, the same age as when my grandfather died. My dad's 83 now and is still splitting wood for his fireplace.

I'll prob move down the DR when I'm around 60. My needs are pretty simple and I don't have kids, so I don't need much of a nestegg.

 

[Chirimoya]

My husband's old nanny died a few years ago and she was well into her 90s, possibly even 100. She was a campesina from Cotu? and her children and grandchildren had no idea of her date of birth. They said that when the census takers visited they would ask her questions about her memories of historical events (Trujillo coming to power, Hurricane San Xenon, etc.) to get an approximation of her age.

again, i call BS. you remember the story - i think from chiri - about a family member who passed her life as her dead sister? because so it happened that one of the kids died roughly at the same time another was born? the death was never registered and neither was the birth. therefore the birth certificate of a younger child showed the real birth date of the older one, who died in infancy. so i still do not believe those massive numbers of dominicans who lived until old and crispy.

Yes, this is one of my sisters-in-law, whose birth certificate and c?dula say 1965, but she suspects she is a couple of years younger - that's her story anyway.

 

[drescape24]

Life is about living. I don't care how long I live as long as I get to bet a fully active person when I die. I don't want to be 100 and not know my name. If I can still joke, enjoy a cold beer and at least say something nice to a beautiful lady, I don't care if I'm 120...

Amen brother! Hope it happens for both of us! Hell I'll buy the first round! Haha

 

[dv8]

i'm still calling BS. two generations back there was no tradition of idiotic fancy names we have now. all sons of jose would be called jose. all daughters of maria would be called maria. it's like 100 years of solitude in action.

 

[Naked_Snake]

i'm still calling BS. two generations back there was no tradition of idiotic fancy names we have now. all sons of jose would be called jose. all daughters of maria would be called maria. it's like 100 years of solitude in action.

Nobody here is saying this is Cuba, sweetie. However, just like one can't "tapar el sol como un dedo", it would be sheer hardheadness to say that centenarians here don't exist. The rule of thumb is that, the nearer one gets to the Cordilleras, the more the likelihood to find one of them. An almost alpine climate can really work wonders on a person's lifespan, despite living in poverty and/or without all the niceties of modernity.

 

[jinty05]

Poland is not the be end of all things pertaining to Europe. My family is Irish and my grandfather lived to he was 103 and my father till he was 98. They had hard lives and there is ample proof available as to how long they lived. Why should it be different in the DR? I am a close friend of one of the Brugal family and I attended his 92nd birthday 3 months ago.

I am also friends of several Dominican families who have unbelievably complicated names. You cannot generalize!

i'm still calling BS. two generations back there was no tradition of idiotic fancy names we have now. all sons of jose would be called jose. all daughters of maria would be called maria. it's like 100 years of solitude in action.