NOS News•yesterday, 10:09 PM
The municipality of Leiden, together with surrounding municipalities, is releasing EUR 6.500,000 in subsidies to encourage the setting up of so-called Vitality Clubs, clubs where people over 55 organize sports activities themselves. There are now about thirty such clubs, spread throughout the Netherlands.
The first clubs were set up in the Leiden region in 2016. The Leyden Academy then started with three clubs in the neighborhoods. With the municipal subsidy, the team of professor of vitality David van Bodegom believes that twenty more clubs will be added in the region.
“I gave a lecture about the importance of exercise for the elderly. After three months of physiotherapy, many seniors improved enormously,” says Van Bodegom about setting up the first Vitality Clubs in the region. “Afterwards a man came to me and said: we have been doing what you are saying every morning for six years, without the physio.”
Great success
Van Bodegom was invited to come and have a look. “What I saw was great. Sixty elderly people doing morning exercises outside every morning. People got a lot of fun and enjoyment out of it. There was no need for a physiotherapist or a room. So there were no structural costs, and I thought: it can be done in every neighborhood.”
A PhD student from Leiden University looked at whether it was possible to copy this exercise club to Leiden neighborhoods. “That was first done in three different neighborhoods and it turned out to be a great success.” According to Van Bodegom, the clubs were supported for the first few months and then the researchers were able to withdraw, and the elderly then organized everything themselves. “It’s cost-free and it continues to grow as well.”
Seniors want to stay fit and they now receive extra money for that
Ultimately, Van Bodegom wants every neighborhood in the Netherlands to have its own club. “We want to have 300 clubs in the coming years. It is an investment in a neighborhood to set up such a club, but it ultimately yields money.”
Because elderly people keep moving, they stay fit and vital for longer, according to Van Bodegom. In addition, people over 55 are building new social contacts. “When you do need help, people help each other.” This will help people to continue living at home longer.
If people outside Leiden want to set up their own exercise club, Van Bodegom’s team is not always necessary. “We can support people. We also have a step-by-step plan and there are meetings, but ultimately the driving force is that of the people themselves. Just start and make it a success.”
