Butler Countians live longer; golden years residents share their thoughts
Carole Brodmerkel will be 85 years old in March, an age she said she will reach because she filled many of her days with things she loved.
“First of all, I was kind to people. I could have been kinder, but you’ve got to have kindness,” said Brodmerkel, a resident at Magnolia Place of Saxonburg. “I bicycled all my life, I flew kites … I loved animals, I had cats and dogs and hamsters.”
Whether it be through her dedication to joy or good living habits, Brodmerkel has surpassed the average life span of a Pennsylvania resident, which is 78 years, as well as the average U.S. resident, which is 78.5 years Those numbers recently were updated using data from 2018 to 2020.
In Butler County, the average life span is 78.8 years, according to data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
While that number is only marginally higher than the national average, Joseph Robare, associate professor and public health program director at Slippery Rock University, said the quality of life specific to Butler County may be what allows people to live slightly longer, possibly healthier lives.
“You have to take into consideration all the variables they put together for a county health rating,” Robare said. “Socioeconomic factors impact you around 40%. Policy is ultimately going to drive these health outcomes and rankings. The better we do as practitioners in educating the future professionals, the better we're going to be.”
Data also lists Butler County as among the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania, the county ranking above at least 75% of other counties in the state.
CHR&R included data pertaining to health outcomes in each county.
One statistic showed that Butler County has a significantly lower average rate of deaths under age 75 than in Pennsylvania and the nation. Robare said fewer early deaths is one metric that can increase a county’s average life expectancy.
Other statistics affecting health outcomes included the percentage of people with “poor or fair health,” “poor physical health days,” “poor mental health days” and low birth weight, each of which listed Butler County as equal to or below the state and national averages.
Robare said longevity can be influenced by numerous factors, such as the environment that a majority of a population lives in and their economic status. The study also listed health factors relevant to those health outcomes, including smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and teen births, for example
Butler County’s data for these health factors were lower percentage-wise than the state and national averages, while other factors such as excessive drinking and alcohol-impaired driving deaths were slightly higher than those averages.
Robare said the study does not seem to imply that each health factor has equal weight to overall health. For example, many people in Butler County travel to other counties for work, which Robare said could have several impacts on someone’s overall health.
“It doesn't rank everything at the same level, because they don't all have the same influence on your health,” Robare said. “(When driving) you have travel time; you're sitting, doing nothing. If you're stopping to eat, where do you go? Generally fast food.
“You have to provide assumptions into the model, as to how is this going to affect things long term.”
Robare said the data is interesting to take in, especially for Butler County, which has a relatively large rural population and more densely populated urban regions.
“Butler County has a lower percentage of adults that smoke, adults with obesity, physical inactivity issues,” he said. “We do have some denser populations like the city of Butler, as well as the Mars area and Cranberry, which are definitely not rural. They might offset some of this because there is such a dense population there and higher income levels.”
Robert LeClair recently celebrated his 100th birthday while living in Magnolia Place of Saxonburg. He suffered a heart attack at around age 85, which he said actually could have helped him live longer.
The secret, LeClair said, was the treatment for that heart attack.
“I had to follow what the doctor told me,” he said. “What they told me is ‘a little red wine.’”
LeClair grew up in Tarentum, but moved around the country throughout his life and did plenty of traveling throughout. All the while he, too, filled his life with activities he enjoyed. His biggest hobbies were relatively simple and accessible sports.
“In went bowling, fishing — I enjoyed bowling for nearly 30 years,” LeClair said. “I fished every opportunity I could get.”
Another centenarian, George Pann, of Magnolia Place, said he hadn’t expected to live to 100, because no one else in his family has lived that long.
Pann attributes his longevity to his lifestyle as well, and said he “never bothered about weight,” and managed to stay healthy throughout his life. A World War II veteran, Pann said he worked at PPG for nearly 40 years and lived most of his life in Natrona Heights. When he wasn’t watching sports, he was staying active.
“I did a lot of walking,” Pann said. “I feel good; I still have good health.”
Robare said the health factors in Butler County mean it’s more than possible for a good portion of residents to live at least until the average life expectancy of 78.8 years. He also said the data provides a good look into what Butler County can improve on for even better health outcomes.
“I think it's a great opportunity for Butler County to celebrate. When you look at the data as a whole, it's good. We're ranked sixth out of 67 (counties) for health outcomes,” Robare said. “What I would do is look at individual outcomes and ask, ‘what could we do better. What could we do to make all parts of Butler as good as the highest sector.’”
Although she no longer can hear, Brodmerkel still loves playing the piano, and reads books just as often as she writes.
Brodmerkel said she still feels young at heart and encouraged everyone to follow their passions if they want to live a long life.
“There has to be music and animals,” Brodmerkel said. “You must read. You have to have a sense of humor.”
Where we rank
Quality of Life in Butler County:
In 2019, 15% of people reported having poor or fair health in the county.
The average Butler County resident reported 3.7 poor physical health days and 4.6 poor mental health days in the past 30 days.
In 2019, 6% of babies had low birth weights, under 5 pounds, 8 ounces, from 2014 to 2020.
About 17% of adults are smokers in Butler County, 31% of people are obese, 24% of adults reported no leisure-time physical activity, and 73% of adults reported they have regular access to exercise opportunities in 2019.
SOURCE: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
