Same Situation, Far Apart: Times are Changing Seniors in the twenty-first century live decades longer than did earlier cohorts, affording them opportunities that were previously unavailable. In 1950 in Peru, average life expectancy was 45. Now in Lima, newlyweds Carmen Mercado, age 64, and Jorge de la Cruz, age 74 (left), can expect a decade of wedded bliss. While Carmen and Jorge were courting, Hazel Soares (right) was studying, which culminated in her graduation from Mills College in Oakland, California, at age 94.
REUTERS/MARIANA BAZO
AP PHOTO/TONY AVELAR
AP PHOTO/TONY AVELAR