Storytelling with UK Centenarians: Being a hundred - it’s just luck

What is it like to have lived one hundred years? In the opinion of those who are active and well, what has contributed to their longevity? If asked to tell a story about being 100 years old what would they talk about? In 2010 we interviewed 16 UK centenarians. We travelled to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England to interview participants in their own homes.

We (Koch, Smith, Hutnik and Turner) asked centenarians to tell us their story. We heard about celebrating their 100th birthday with friends and family. We heard that there were 100 balloons or 100 roses or 100 reasons to continue partying into the future. Many chose to talk about aspects of their life that were foremost in their minds. Each person was given space to retell, using their own words, something about themselves and the social context that had shaped their lives. Interviews often included interested friends or relatives. Their accounts ran to several thousand words. Together these stories comprise a social history of ordinary lives lived during the 20th century and into the 21st. Let us introduce you to some of these remarkable older people.