POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Did you know that just "one half of one percent" of the population passes the age of 90 without showing any signs of dementia?
What's their secret? Many play bridge. The game not only keeps their minds sharp, but also improves their quality of life.
John Paul Stevens just turned 98 years old. Besides being an avid bridge player, he's also a retired Supreme Court justice.
"Well I enjoyed it for many, many years, long before I retired," Stevens said. "I played bridge for many years and meet an awful lot of nice people."
Judge, as Stevens likes to be called, is one of dozens of seniors who regularly show up to the Pompano Duplicate Bridge Club to play the game that for many has been like discovering the fountain of youth.
"The longer you've been playing, the more you remember so that's why we have people here who are 100 and still can play bridge," Stevens said.
Edith Denenberg, 93, is the club's champ, and she plays every day.
"It never gets boring. It's always stimulating and exciting," Denenberg said.
Bridge, one of the most popular partnership card games ever invented, can be traced back to the 16th Century. It became popular in the United States in the 1940s and is by no means easy to play.
"Every day is like a tournament. You win. You lose. You come in first. You come in second. It's exciting," club member Bob Buchner said.
The same deal is played at each table so the entire club competes not just against each other but with bridge players all over the world.
The element of skill is heightened and chance is reduced.
"It involves memory, visualization, sequencing and counting to 13. Counting to 13. [laughs] Yeah, it's a very important part of the game," Stevens said.
But it's not just about the game.
Larry Kroll, 97, calls this his “sandbox."
I asked Kroll what keeps him so young.
"Bombay gin and bridge," he replied.
He's been playing since he turned 81 and said bridge changed his life.
"I'm not going to go to the bar by myself and I don't go to a church. So where are you going to meet people?" Kroll said.
I kid Larry that he’s really here for the women. You see, it's not just the intellect that gets engaged.
“There's a couple there that got married. I used to date him. And they got married” said Barbara Miller who at 81 tells me she’s made quite a few love connections here.
Yes, the players in this room are very much loving life right now and bridge is a big reason why.
"If I didn't come here, I wouldn't see anybody. I would literally be homebound," 88-year-old Shelly Salvi said.
Kroll agrees, “I really mean it, from a guy that’s a bit of an old relic. I am able to live this time of life and enjoy every bloody minute of it.”