The Netherlands: Learning To Fall

Learning to Fall

“Learning to fall” is taking on a literal meaning in the Netherlands, where 18.5 percent of the population is now 65 or older.

In 2016, almost 4,000 Dutch seniors died as a result of a fall, a 38-percent increase from 2014, the New York Times reported.

“My main problem is I’m very afraid of falling,” said 85-year-old Hans Kuhn, who lives alone in her two-story house near Amsterdam.

To ease her fears, Kuhn has enrolled in a class for seniors that teaches them how to fall properly.

Virtually unheard of a decade ago, the courses have become so common throughout the country that they’re now government rated and partially covered by health insurance.

Monitored by trained physiotherapists, students spend weeks traversing obstacles and doing exercises to build strength and balance until they’re confident enough to practice falling on foam mats.

The courses also provide comic relief and a social setting for elderly students otherwise isolated in their homes, said Saskia Kloet, a program manager at VeiligeheidNL, an institution that offers falling courses.

“Naturally, they are not interested in courses on falling at first,” she said. “But once they see that they can do it, then it’s fun.”

Click here to see the seniors in action.

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