ok, so I've figured out that in VV1, dragging the adult villagers or Golden Child to the garden (certain hot spots) will make them into zombies that are "enjoying the garden." They seem to regain health and I have had a few over 100 years old and a temporarily increased population. In VV2, the same is true with the hot spots around the cemetary that zombie-ize them while they are "reflecting." Unfortunately, sometimes they get hung up as they are about to jump into the pond - I think they're just scared and are trying to put it off. You can easily rescue them and put them in the pond manually.

I too have 50 elders, but my ranking is not at #1 so I'm quite sure that there has to be another trick.

Also, nobody has mentioned that some adult villagers can become teachers in VV2. If you drag an adult to a child, then they either tell them a story or teach them. I found that teaching is equivalent to the drum in VV! Most elders seem to be able to teach, but otherwise they're few and far between. Some teachers have only limited knowledge, but it's fun to watch as they get teaching props from the science hut and show the kids how to do the basic tasks on the island.