Those of the age 100 and over – also called centenarians – used to be a rarity, with only pockets ever existing around the world at the same time. So how has this demographic quadrupled in the last 30 years, showing no signs of slowing down? In the next decade, it’s yet again expected to double, meaning that this is no blip – we’re on the cusp of a remarkable societal shift that by all accounts we are unprepared for.
Executive produced by Roger Graef and directed by Angie Mason and James Rogan, ‘Life At 100’ is Rogan Production’s latest documentary for BBC Panorama. Following the lives of seven centenarians, distinguished investigator Joan Bakewell is dispatched across the nation to investigate the enormous ramifications of a rapidly growing demographic and the people within it.
By entering into each centenarian’s life, Joan observes the dramatic and complex effects their existence is having: from the NHS, to social care, to upended family dynamics. But as much as this is an investigation, so too is it a story about human beings, one that vows to learn about the people behind the numbers. “They all have something about them”, Shooting Assistant Producer Katie explains. “They’re all so sure of themselves in who they are. There’s a drive to keep living, something about life that makes them want to keep going.”
May Bareham is a 102-year-old, who highly values her independence and wants to continue to live at home. But as a result, May’s daughter Sue, herself a grandmother, is torn between looking after her mother and her grandson, whose just been in a severe accident, leaving little to no time to enjoy her own retirement. May, as many other centenarians as well, has outlived all of her friends. Living to such an old age can in some cases even lead to the roles being reversed entirely: 100-year-old Margaret Gilbert’s life was turned upside-down when her son was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Despite a 25-year difference, her son’s illness required her to become his primary carer.
But May’s and Margaret’s situation is just one of many. Through a deeply intimate observational style, Joan cuts to the heart of each person’s story meeting doctors, actors and political figures who remain resolute in the face of ill health, ageing bodies and loneliness. While their diverse lives set them apart, their resilience connects them together. As Joan explains: “‘The old’ are often bundled together as a group as if they were all alike. They’re not. Their lives need to be revealed to the younger generation because they are as individual as teenagers.”
This is an unflinching, bold and affirming insight into an issue of national importance that gives us all a renewed perspective, no matter our age. Joan concludes: “I’d like everyone to aspire to having a good old age for themselves. We need to acknowledge we will all die, not shy away from it and take a long hard look at what we want from our lives.”
