Elant at Goshen Rehabilitation Center Welcomes Supercentenarian

Sept. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- Goshen – Anna Ferris, a patient at the Elant at Goshen Rehabilitation Center, has hit the big time.

Her claim to fame? She is one of an incredibly rare few to have the privilege of living 110 years. In fact, she’s one of fewer than 80 in the world to reach 110 years old, earning her the title of Supercentenarian.

That’s right. Anna was born in 1900 and still enjoys a relatively independent lifestyle filled with family, laughter, and wit. A homemaker for most of her life, Anna’s only child passed away at age 80 in 2005. Her extended family includes four grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren.

“You don’t just sit there and do nothing,” Ferris said when asked how she maintains her youth. “You help people, they feel happy, and then they do something good.”

Anna is part of the New England Supercentenarian Study at Boston University School of Medicine. The study is geared toward uncovering the genetic and environmental factors necessary for an individual to live to this extremely old age. Her inclusion, validated thanks to documents provided by her grandson, has gained her more than a little notoriety.

Before her stay at Elant at Goshen, Anna was living with her grandson, Joe Begendorf, and his family in Washingtonville. There she enjoyed light cooking, and helping out with other non-taxing household activities, like folding laundry.

In fact, Anna’s amazing longevity gained the notice of a Brazilian television station, which sent a reporter and a cameraman to interview her at Elant at Goshen for Brazil’s version of a show similar to 60 Minutes.

As the cameraman set up his equipment and the appropriate lighting on the day of the shoot, Anna allowed her nervousness to show while she chatted with her 28-year-old great granddaughter, Laurie.

“You better stay with me,” she said to Laurie, who easily bantered with her great great grandmother, a woman she calls her best friend.

“And you should fix your hair,” Anna joked with the reporter.

Throughout the interview, Anna maintained her sense of humor, once exclaiming, “God bless me: I’m 110 years old?”

And when asked about her participation in the Orange County Senior Games – where she won several medals - over the last two years, she was charmingly bewildered.

“I can’t believe it; oh my, I threw a football,” Anna asked. “Did I hit anyone?”

Her great great granddaughter laughed with her, pointing out that Anna was likely to compete again this year.

“Oh my, how am I going to get the pep to do that,” Anna asked.

Before her stay at Elant at Goshen, Anna was living with her grandson, Joe Begendorf, and his family in Washingtonville. There she enjoyed light cooking, and helping out with other non-taxing household activities, like folding laundry. Although her life has gone through several changes over the last several months, she still maintains her positive attitude and the strength that has helped earn her the title of supercentenarian.

“You have to keep pushing, and moving ahead to do the best you can,” she said.

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Elant, Inc., a community-based, not-for-profit organization, has been a part of the Hudson Valley healthcare landscape for the past 25 years. Its seven campuses, located across five counties, serve an estimated 3,500 people daily and provide sub-acute care and rehabilitation services, nursing home care, assisted living, adult day care, retirement community living, home health care, and a managed long-term care plan. Elant’s mission is to provide personalized, high-quality care and lifestyle options to persons of diverse generations, cultures, means, and needs.