2023-04-18 17:44:00
In 2000, 151 thousand people over 100 years old lived on Earth – these are the data of the UN. The world record for longevity in the history of observation belongs to the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment – she was 122.5 years old. In the top twenty of the oldest people living on Earth today – 18 women and 2 men, all of them are from 113 to 116 years old. If we talk about countries, then most of them – seven – live in Japan, six – in the US, two – in Brazil. And one each – in the UK, Venezuela, Spain, Colombia and Germany. At the moment, the oldest living person in the world is considered to be Maria Branas Morera – a Spaniard born in the United States turned 116 years old.
The oldest inhabitant of Germany today is Charlotte Kretschmann – she is 113 years old. She treats her age philosophically: “I did not choose this for myself. Nothing depends on me. Every person has a chance to survive the next day, and he does not need to do anything for this.” At the same time, the woman is proud that she has maintained a good physical shape and memory for her age: “I am not bedridden … And everything is in perfect order with my head – 150 percent,” she said with a smile in an interview with the German weekly Der SPIEGEL.
What is more in life – sadness or joy?
Charlotte Kretschmann, 113, has been living in a nursing home in Kirchheim unter Teck in Baden-Württemberg for the past few years. The woman buried her husband and daughter, which is why she especially suffers. “The Lord God did it badly. At the end of life, a person should be generally good, but it gets worse and worse,” Charlotte complains. Sometimes she dreams of her relatives, and then she wakes up in tears and sadness.
For several years, the woman coped with household chores on her own, but after a brain hemorrhage, she decided to move to a nursing home, where, if necessary, she could be provided with professional support and medical care.
“I need everything around to be beautiful and a little colorful,” Charlotte shares her preferences. After her birthday in December, her room was decorated for a long time with three balloons with the numbers 1,1, 3. And always – photos of her grandchildren. Several calendars hang on the walls – one with recipes, the other with idyllic views of the Dolomites. An elderly woman loves to look at them again and again. However, in her life, Charlotte Kretschmann has experienced much more than a calendar or a photo album lying next to it can accommodate.
“Recently, a historian asked me to tell about life. Who can tell me more from my own experience? ..” Born December 3, 1909 in Breslau, then part of the German Empire, Charlotte Kretschmann survived two world wars and economic crises, she regretted about the division of Germany, and then watched her reunification, saw how new money came and went. “I survived everyone: both Queen Elizabeth and Pope Benedict”… And even the coronavirus did not turn her life upside down. Last summer, Charlotte got sick and was in quarantine: “I just didn’t see anyone, didn’t hear anyone, didn’t talk to anyone. I sat by the window for 14 days and watched every leaf. I don’t want to go through this again.”
What is the secret of longevity?
“Often they don’t give me my 113 years. My dentist does not believe his eyes, he says that I am a miracle,” says Charlotte. How did she manage to keep her spirits up? “Thanks to sports and physical activity even in winter. And, of course, thanks to my happy childhood,” the long-liver shares. She recalls that she had everything she wanted, her parents gave her everything she needed: her mother sewed beautiful dresses for her in the latest fashion, she had excellent food and care, caring teachers worked with her.
Today, the 113-year-old woman finds it especially important to take care of her appearance. Once every two weeks, she says, she goes to the hairdresser and gets her nails done. “I paint my nails red and love to wear trendy blouses,” she admits. At the moment, the only concern of the German centenarian is the wheelchair, in which she has to move after she fell and injured her knees. But she has a goal – to start walking again with the help of walkers, and therefore she regularly trains with a physiotherapist.
“You should have seen me in my youth, how I ran and swam,” Charlotte is proud. While doing athletics, she met her husband Werner, he was one of the best runners. It was love at first sight. They often danced together. They had a daughter. But the Second World War broke their happiness, they had to separate. Werner was drafted into the Wehrmacht – first to France, and then transferred to the Eastern Front. The husband was taken prisoner by the Soviets. Charlotte and her little daughter fled to the West. She recalls that they were transported in open freight wagons, how hard and scary it was for her. “My husband fought in Russia. We were very lucky that after his return from captivity, we were able to find each other through the Red Cross and start a new life in Stuttgart.”
Every evening at the nursing home, Charlotte watches TV: “I’m aware of everything that’s going on.” She is concerned about the war that Russia unleashed in Ukraine. “I don’t want World War III. It’s almost come to this. It’s good that everyone united against Putin. He shouldn’t think that he can do whatever he wants,” sums up the oldest resident of Germany.
The 113-year-old centenarian is active on Instagram
Currently, Charlotte Kretschmann’s daily routine consists, as a rule, of classes with a physiotherapist and meetings with relatives and grandchildren. She invites the rest of the world to take part in her life – thanks to her Instagram account. At the moment she has almost 9 thousand subscribers. She regularly shares snapshots of her life with them, whether it’s shopping, celebrating Christmas or just walking. “Even my niece in America can see me,” she rejoices. She is assisted by her 45-year-old grandson Peter Baur. He says that his grandmother is mentally much younger than the age that is written on the identity card. Charlotte Kretschmann herself does not think about death: “It is useless – in the end, it will just happen, and nothing depends on me. But I still have time“.
See also:
#Germanys #oldest #woman #doesnt #death