Tag: visit

LongeviQuest Japan was privileged to have the opportunity to visit Mrs. Masa Matsumoto to honor her longevity. We visited her at her nursing home and celebrated together with her family on October 1, 2023. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she could not see her family for about three years from 2020 until May 2023, but since June 2023 she has been able to see them again. Now she enjoys having her family visit her twice a month. Matsumoto is currently the 12th oldest person in the world and the oldest living person in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

LongeviQuest Japan presented Mrs. Matsumoto with a plaque and a Phalaenopsis orchid. Mrs. Matsumoto adored the phalaenopsis and remarked: “It’s beautiful.”
During our 15-minute meeting, Yamamoto placed her hand on Mrs. Matsumoto’s arm and she commented, “Your hand is warm.” She also kept looking at her daughter Yasuko Nishide’s face and nodded when her daughter spoke to her.

Mrs. Matsumoto was born on 29 November 1909 in Kōnan-cho, Kōka District, Japan (now part of the city of Kōka). She was the oldest of seven children. After graduating from elementary school, she moved away from home and worked as a babysitter for several years at the Mitsubishi Group mansion in Osaka. At the age of 22, she married her childhood friend and had two children, a son and a daughter. Matsumoto lived with her eldest son’s family in Osaka until she was 89. She took pleasure in being with her grandchildren. At 89, Matsumoto even traveled to England to visit her granddaughter. She also visited Belgium while there.

Matsumoto lived in a three-story house. She was reported to walk up and down the stairs to get to her room on the third floor until the age of 108. Between the ages of 92 and 108, Matsumoto attended a local care center for the elderly three times a week, where she painted with watercolors. At 108, she suffered a compression fracture in her lower back naturally while sleeping and was hospitalized. Matsumoto worked hard in rehab to recover and was able to go home. She then stayed in Yokohama City to live with her eldest daughter a month later. She had no other major health problems in her life and drank sake every day until she entered a nursing home. Matsumoto also preferred meat to fish (especially Japanese yakitori). Her family shared that her secret to a long life is her calm personality.

We sincerely wish Mrs. Masa Matsumoto good health and happiness. We also would like to express our deep gratitude to Mrs. Matsumoto’s family and nursing home for graciously accepting our visit.

Yomitan Village, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan – On September 19, 2023, our team had the honor of visiting the younger sister of the world’s oldest pair of siblings in history, the 15th oldest living person in the world, and the second-oldest known living person in Okinawa Prefecture, Mrs. Kikue Taira. In most families, one person reaching the age of 113 would be a unique achievement, but Mrs. Taira’s sister, Kame Ganeko, lived to the age of 114.

Mrs. Taira (106 at the time) with her sister Mrs. Ganeko (111 at the time) in June 2016

Mrs. Taira was presented with two plaques and a bouquet of flowers at Yomitan No Sato, a special nursing home for the elderly. One of the plaques was addressed to her, and one to her older sister, Mrs. Ganeko, who at the time of her death on October 18th 2019, was the second-oldest ever person from Okinawa Prefecture and the seventh-oldest person in the world. The plaques certified the sisters’ status as the world’s oldest ever pair of siblings, with a combined age of over 227 years.

Mrs. Taira holding the plaque honoring her and her sister

LongeviQuest Japan President Yumi Yamamoto had the privilege of carrying out the visit, where she was warmly welcomed by two of Mrs. Taira’s grandchildren, who expressed deep gratitude for the acknowledgement of their grandmother’s incredible achievement. Mrs. Taira is hard of hearing, but when spoken to loudly up close can still understand what is being said. When Yamamoto congratulated her on her achievement, she clearly stated her date of birth, demonstrating an awareness of the celebration being held in her honor.

Mrs. Taira with her granddaughter Naomi Yabiku and LongeviQuest’s Yumi Yamamoto

Mrs. Taira was born on 26th April 1910 (Meiji 43) in Yomitanson, Okinawa Prefecture, the third of four sisters, preceded by her older sister and fellow supercentenarian, Kame Ganeko. Mrs. Taira moved to Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture as a teenager to work as a textile spinner before moving back to Okinawa in her early 20’s where she married Mr. Ryoshin, with whom she had 6 children. She lived on her own for 24 years between the ages of 73 and 97 before entering care after injuring her femur in a fall at home.

Yumi Yamamoto speaking with Kikue Taira

Mrs. Taira was said to be very close to her older sister, whom she supported by visiting the nursing home she lived in well into old age. Her granddaughters described her as a “kind, vibrant person who always had a smile on her face” – a warmth which could be felt when they shared stories of the great joy she took in cooking traditional Okinawan food for her family. A woman of varied interests, Mrs. Taira was an avid knitter in her younger years and enjoyed cultivating flowers in her garden, an activity which she continued until entering care at the age of 97, demonstrating her strong sense of self-reliance and physical capability. From an early age, she had a passion for food, which the nursing staff informed us continues to this day. Her grandchildren believe her hearty appetite has likely contributed to her longevity.

Mrs. Taira posing with her granddaughter Naomi Yabiku and LongeviQuest representatives Yumi Yamamoto and Jack Steer

We deeply appreciate and thank to the Kikue Taira’s family and nursing home staff who received LongeviQuest team very warmly and our photographer Mr. Nomoto Shunki for the beautiful photos.

On August 20, 2023, the LongeviQuest team had the privilege of visiting Mr. Efraín Antonio Ríos García, who holds the distinction of being the world’s second-oldest living man and the oldest living individual in Colombia.

Representatives from LongeviQuest América, Fabrizio Villatoro from Mexico, and Santiago García Medina from Canada, had the honor of visiting Mr. Ríos García in his hometown of Itagüí, Antioquia, Colombia. Their visit was warmly welcomed by the kind family of the oldest living Colombian, with over 20 family members in attendance. A representative from the city of Itagüí also joined the gathering to pay respects to the nation’s most senior resident. During this significant occasion, our team presented Mr. Ríos García with two certificates, acknowledging his status as the second-oldest living man globally and the oldest living person in Colombia, and also a bouquet of flowers. The representative of LongeviQuest America; Mr. Villatoro spoke directly with Mr. Ríos García, who expressed that he was very glad that our team was visiting him and Mr. García Medina asked him about his youth and he even remembered the full names of his parents, demonstrating the good memory he still has. Efraín drank champagne, brandy and coke to celebrate such an occasion, since he felt very glad to be one of the oldest living people in the world.

Mr. Ríos García was born on April 4, 1910, in the countryside of Fredonia, Antioquia Department, Colombia. He married Herminia Uribe, with whom he had 18 children. Among those present during the visit were five of his children, including Mrs. Nidia Ríos Uribe, who played a pivotal role in facilitating the visit and collaborated closely with the LongeviQuest team to officially validate her father’s remarkable age. Mr. Ríos García occasionally enjoys a glass of aguardiente, a tradition that, according to his family, lifts his spirits during moments of unease. Throughout the visit, each of his children delivered heartfelt speeches, expressing gratitude for their father’s longevity and celebrating the extraordinary journey of his life.

His family claims that he is the nucleus of the family. His eldest granddaughter expressed that “he is a very good person, very loving, not envious at all and who has always acted in a good deed, and possibly this has helped him live longer.”

The trait of longevity runs in his family; his older brother Francisco passed away in 2011 at the age of 106. Just days before the visit, on August 15, Mr. Ríos García surpassed the final age of Mr. Eusebio Quintero López, solidifying his position as the oldest Colombian man with validated age credentials, as confirmed by an expert organization specializing in age verification. Not only is he the second-oldest living man worldwide, trailing only 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, but he also holds the distinction of being the second-oldest verified living person in Latin America and stands among the 20 oldest living individuals globally.

LongeviQuest extends heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Ríos García’s family for their warm hospitality and graciousness in opening their home to our representatives. It was a privilege for all of us. We join in wishing Mr. Ríos García continued health and happiness, eagerly anticipating the celebration of his 114th birthday.

The kind family of Mr. Ríos García expressed their gratitude to our team for the visit by giving them as gift a book about his life as well as various photos from different stages of his life.

100th birthday celebration, with his wife Herminia
As a monk, on 4 November 1995
On his 100th birthday, in a local newspaper

LongeviQuest deeply thanks and appreciates Mr. Ríos García’s family to give LongeviQuest permission to visit him, particularly his daughter Nidia Ríos Uribe.

We deeply appreciate and thank to our photographer Mrs. Solángel (@docusol_) for the beautiful photos.

Sra. Silveria Martín Díaz, the second oldest living person in Spain, has reached the age of 113. Sra. Martín Díaz is the oldest living person in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Within Spain, her age is exceeded only by 116-year-old María Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest living person.

Sra. Martín Díaz celebrated her 113th birthday a few days early surrounded by loved ones in a festive ceremony in La Vera. In attendance were her 77-year-old daughter, Julia, along with multiple grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. The ceremony was also attended by the director of Sra. Martín Díaz’s residential center, and a classical music group from a nearby town who played some of Silveria’s favorite pieces, and LongeviQuest Spain Researcher Daniel Germán Delgado. Delgado presented Sra. Martín Díaz with a plaque certifying her recognition by LongeviQuest as Extremadura’s oldest living person. Delgado also presented a plaque for her eldest living daughter, not in attendance, recognizing her status as the oldest living child of a living parent in Spain.

According to Delgado, Sra. Martín Díaz was active and conversational during the event. At various points, she smiled, laughed, and cried tears of happiness. Her daughter told LongeviQuest that her mother maintains a positive quality of life and does not suffer from chronic pain. She enjoyed the event and was able to bask in the admiration of her loved ones and her entire community.

LongeviQuest congratulates Sra. Martín Díaz on her birthday and we are grateful to her, her loved ones, and her caregivers for allowing us to celebrate with you.

Below are some photographs from the event, taken by photographer David Garcia Carrere:

La Sra. Silveria Martín Díaz, la segunda persona viva más longeva de España, ha cumplido 113 años. La Sra. Martín Díaz es la persona viva más anciana de la Comunidad Autónoma de Extremadura. En España, su edad sólo es superada por María Branyas Morera, de 116 años, la persona viva más longeva del mundo.

 

La Sra. Martín Díaz celebró unos días antes su 113 cumpleaños rodeada de sus seres queridos en una ceremonia festiva en La Vera. Asistieron su hija de 77 años, Julia, y numerosos nietos, bisnietos y tataranietos. También asistieron a la ceremonia el director del centro residencial de la Sra. Martín Díaz, un grupo de música clásica de una localidad cercana que interpretó algunas de las piezas favoritas de Silveria, y el investigador de LongeviQuest España Daniel Germán Delgado. Delgado entregó a la Sra. Martín Díaz una placa acreditativa de su reconocimiento por parte de LongeviQuest como la persona viva más longeva de Extremadura. Delgado también entregó una placa a su hija mayor viva, que no asistió, reconociéndole su condición de hija de padre vivo de mayor edad de España.

Según Delgado, la Sra. Martín Díaz se mostró activa y conversadora durante el acto. En varios momentos sonrió, rió y lloró de felicidad. Su hija contó a LongeviQuest que su madre mantiene una calidad de vida positiva y no sufre dolores crónicos. Disfrutó del evento y pudo disfrutar de la admiración de sus seres queridos y de toda su comunidad.

LongeviQuest felicita a la Sra. Martín Díaz por su cumpleaños y le damos las gracias a ella, a sus seres queridos y a sus cuidadores por permitirnos celebrarlo con vosotros.

A continuación se muestran algunas fotografías del evento, tomadas por el fotógrafo David García Carrere:

The LongeviQuest team visited Fusa Tatsumi-san on her 116th birthday on April 25, 2023. We met her and her family at her nursing home Hakutou in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

The CEO and director of LongeviQuest; Mr. Ben Meyers, Commissioner and President of LQ Japan; Mrs. Yumi Yamamoto, and the Commissioner and President of LQ América; Mr. Fabrizio Villatoro, and  Jack Steer visited Fusa Tatsumi-san on behalf of the organization. We had a pleasant visit with the mayor of the Kashiwara City; Mr. Masahiro Fuke, the nursing home staff, Tatsumi-san’s family members and Tatsumi-san herself. Fusa Tatsumi was very calm, but active at hearing about those who speaks to her.

Tatsumi’s relatives were very welcoming to the LongeviQuest team. We congratulated and celebrated her longevity by giving her flowers, a beautiful cake with decorations that represents the longevity in Japan, a plaque of her incredible longevity about being the oldest living person in Japan, and the birthday wishes of many fans and researchers who congratulated and sent to her.

LongeviQuest deeply thanks and appreciates the nursing home staff and Fusa Tatsumi’s family to give us permission to visit her, it was an honor to all of us.

We deeply appreciate and thank to our photographer Mrs. Akane Matsumoto for the beautiful photos.