Falling School for Elderly

The Dutch, like many people elsewhere, are living longer, often alone. As they do, courses that teach them not only how to avoid falling, but how to fall correctly, are gaining popularity. This one, called Vallen Verleden Tijd course, roughly translates as “Falling is in the past.” Falling for the older adults can be a serious thing. Aging causes the bones to get brittle, and broken ones do not heal as readily. Across the Netherlands, 3,884 people over the age of 65 died as result of a fall in 2016, and 96,200 required emergency medical care because of one. The number of fatalities rose 38 percent from just two years ago.