Self-rated health is on average somewhat lower among nonagenarians and centenarians, but the percentage reporting poor health is similar to that reported by octogenarians.
The findings also illustrate that the effect differed by age, for the relationship was significant for octogenarians and nonagenarians but insignificant for centenarians.
The survey aimed for equal numbers of men and women octogenarians and also for male and female nonagenarians, so therefore over-sampled extremely old individuals and men.
The nonagenarian study presents a more optimistic finding on this under-researched group : despite their often multiple medical problems, most hospitalised nonagenarians return directly to their previous living circumstances.
One was a new-born baby, and the other was a nonagenarian.
Then we get the nonagenarian tenant with the son aged 40 running the farm in practice, and these are the cases where there is hardship.
But no one thinks of a nonagenarian as having anything to spare.
It may well be that there are many knowledgeable nonagenarian medical practitioners, but there can be an imbalance here.