Tibet´s oldest woman turns 118

Tsering couldn't see or hear them: she's lost her hearing and eyesight. She sat motionless when her daughter fed her birthday cake, but smiled when her great-granddaughter, 9-year-old Medo Drolma, naughtily daubed cream on the old woman's cheeks and nose.

Tibet's oldest woman, Arme Tsering(R), celebrates her 118th  birthday at home in the northeastern suburbs of Lhasa,  March 16, 2009. (Xinhua/Soinam Norbu)

Tsering can't talk much either, anymore, except for the occasional articulation of a daughter or grandchild's name. There is hardly any expression on her tanned face, except when a fit of coughing makes her grimace in pain.

"Mom's health is deteriorating every day," said her daughter, Yangjen, 70. "She has high blood pressure, asthma and chronic bronchitis. Her memory is fading and she rarely talks."