Geriatric care is a dynamic and enterprising sector. The heart of the sector is formed by its people: dedicated professionals caring for people who often receive little attention. Patients and their families in most cases speak highly of the effort and skills of the care professionals whom they meet. In our home country, the Netherlands, care managers can be proud of the significant improvements in geriatric care reported by the Netherlands Health Care Inspectorate and the Health Council of the Netherlands over the past decade. It's not easy managing care in the Netherlands, or anywhere else for that matter: lack of qualified personnel, complicated financing through health insurance, lots of administrative red tape – they all take attention away from what it's really about, namely helping people remain active in society for as long as possible.
All people value their independence, even more so as they grow older. Regular physical exercise is key to remaining independent, as people who get enough exercise stay mobile, have a significantly lower risk of developing functional limitations, and develop fewer chronic ailments. Research shows that too little exercise leads to adverse changes in the muscoskeletal system, the cardiovascular system and the brain. Physical exercise and fitness also has a positive effect on cognitive skills.
However, older people exercise less than the average person. Taking the Netherlands as an example, a mere 52% of the population aged over 65 meets the Dutch norm for healthy exercise. Within this age group, the people who consider themselves to have 'poor' health exercise even less. Only 21% of them meet the norm. Therefore, providing sufficient and responsible exercise is of particular importance in care centres to maintain the health of patients.