# How old is the oldest left-hander you know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396 "2012-05-19T04:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/41 "2012-05-22T04:12:07Z")
My left-handed father died at age 69 but not from some accident resulting from his handedness. It was complications from a cerebral hemorrhage. I have indications that my left-handed mother is probably still alive, and she’d be 78, turning 79 next month. (I’m right-handed.) ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/42 "2012-05-22T04:21:34Z")
One left-handed grandmother died at 89, the other is still hanging on at 99. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/43 "2012-05-22T05:49:42Z")
> [@BACI](#): > > Had the question been home many right handed people over 90 do you know I expect the numbers would be much higher. Probably nearly 10 times more I’d expect, since righties outnumber lefties by nearly ten times… ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/44 "2012-05-22T07:22:43Z")
Can I increase my lifespan be learning to be right handed? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/45 "2012-05-22T15:37:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Can I increase my lifespan be learning to be right handed? All I know is it will definitely increase your prestige. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/46 "2012-05-22T17:12:46Z")
My grandmother is also a natural lefty, forced to be a righty. She’s almost 90, but in very poor health. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/47 "2012-05-23T05:01:55Z")
Grandma is cross-dominant, she’s 98 (and a half, as she was bemoaning a week ago). She doesn’t leave the house alone because she’s got equilibrium and hearing problems, but she showers herself, dresses herself and uses her cane more to point at things or twirl than to lean on. Oh yes, and her knee hurts, but I never remember which one. ---
**Author:** ![Razrak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/razrak/32/5888_2.png) [@Razrak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razrak)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/48 "2012-05-24T01:58:31Z")
My 85 year old grandmother is left handed and completely independent. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/49 "2012-05-26T00:31:11Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I believe my grandmother (92) is naturally left-handed, but was trained in school to use her right. It may be that you simply don’t find older people who are left-handed for this reason - at that time, left-handedness was thought of as about on par with being bowlegged, so they were ‘normalized’. Replace grandmother with grandfather and same here. He writes righty, but does most other things lefty. ---
**Author:** ![Orca\_Eyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Orca\_Eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orca_Eyes)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/50 "2012-05-26T14:07:01Z")
My friend’s great-grandfather (who is 88) is left-handed. Actually, he can write a little with his right hand, but still prefers his left hand. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/51 "2012-05-26T18:15:14Z")
My mother will be 80 next year. She told me she was “encouraged” to write right-handed, but she does almost everything else left-handed. All of her kids are right-handed, so she taught us to do certain things like tying our shoes by standing or sitting opposite us and telling her to imagine she was our reflection in the mirror. Oh, and she has extremely neat handwriting. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396/52 "2012-05-26T22:47:23Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Dad’s 67. > > George H.W. Bush seems to be doing pretty well. He’s 87. > > –Cliffy Then Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama–all lefties. Odd, isn’t it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-oldest-left-hander-you-know/622396.md?page=2)