BOSTON -- Senior citizens are living longer and healthier then ever before, according to a study released recently.

Research at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., found that more seniors are staying healthier in mind and body as they age. The survey of 3,500 people over 65 looked at factors such as the ability to carry out daily living, the presence of major illness and the level of social activity.

Between 80 to 90 percent of those between 65 and 75 reported good or excellent health, as did about 60 percent of those over 85.

Al Henick likes to fix things. As part of a retirement job-program, the 86-year-old spends some days toiling with trinkets from toasters to lamps, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.

"The body must be active, and the brain must be active. I read a lot, I talk too much and I work (on) puzzles," Henick said.

Those who work with seniors said more are making an effort to keep busy as they age.

"If you're sitting in a chair moping around saying, 'Woe is me,' the pains stay there. And they don't go away. They last longer," said Joe Carella, of the Scandinavian Living Center in Newton, Mass. "But if you're out there staying active, you forget about things like that."

The Duke study also found that nearly 90 percent of participants were healthy enough to live at home -- including those over 85.

And although about half of the participants were living with at least one physical ailment, most continued to report at least fair health and the ability to perform most physical activities.

"Many people in this study with chronic diseases were not in bad overall health," said Katrina Krause, a co-author of the study. "And as they got older, a chronic disease did not necessarily mean they were disabled."

Henick said he has no big secret to his long, healthy life.

"I've probably broken all the rules, and in spite of that, I'm still here," he said.

But Henick does have an activity planned for every day. He said he loves visiting with his four great-grandchildren. He said it's his curiosity that electrifies his spirit and brightens each day.

"Will there ever be a period when there is no war? Will they find a cure for cancer? I'd like to live long enough to get the answers to those questions," he said.