When someone turns 100, these volunteers are there to make sure they're honored

Paula Naylor pushes her father, Paul Romanello, with his wheelchair on Dec. 21 in Tulsa, Okla. Romanello was recently celebrated by the Centenarians of Oklahoma when he turned 100 years old. (Michael Noble Jr. for NPR)

Gloria Helmuth has seen the joy of what it means to turn 100. She's not there herself — she's 82 — but over the years, she's helped pay tribute to hundreds of centenarians. And that has given her unique insight into what it means to actually live to 100.

There are the obvious health challenges, for one. And a lot of the time, it can be downright lonely. Loved ones — like spouses, friends, even children — may have passed years, and sometimes decades, before a person crosses the century mark.