Tips For Living Longer, From Some Of Camden County’s New Centenarians

VOORHEES, NJ – The way Minnie Kauffman sees it, there are three tips to living long.

“First, you make your own luck. You can’t sit in your apartment by yourself and expect to have a full life,” she recently said.

She also encouraged finding time to enjoying the things in life that bring one joy and being happy with the person you are.

Kauffman might know what she’s talking about. Earlier this month, the resident of Lions Gate Life Plan Community celebrated her 104th birthday, making her the oldest resident of the assisted living and independent living facility in Voorhees.

Put another way, when Kauffman was born, the establishment of Voorhees Township had occurred only about 20 years earlier. The first concrete for the span now known as the Ben Franklin Bridge was still more than 8 years from being poured. Interstate 295, or any interstate highway being built that matter, was still decades away.

“I figure I’m here this long for a reason, so I’m going to take advantage of all that I can for as long as I can,” Kauffman said.

The staff at Lions Gate Life Plan Community recently inducted Kauffman and 10 of her neighbors into what it calls the 100 Club. The only requirement is that a resident must live in the community and turn 100 years of age or older by the end of 2022. Members of the club recently received pins, proclamations, flowers and of course cake. (Editor’s note: see slide show above.)

“While we recognize all of our residents as part of our Lions Gate family, those who have passed the 100-year mark have such a rich history to share with us,” Lions Gate CEO David Thompson said in a press release.

Therefore, 100 Club Members shared their tips for living a long life. Their recommendations ranged from eating healthy, to rolling with life's punches, to staying active and many others.

A person living to be aged 100 years and older is “uncommon” but nevertheless increasing, according to the CDC. Their most recent data indicate the number of Americans older than 100 years increased 43.6% during a recent 15-year-span, from 50,281 to 72,197.

And about 1% of New Jersey’s 1,700 centenarians live at Lions Gate Life Plan Community, according to its staff.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated.

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