Image
- Credit:
Source: Pixabay/geralt
Thursday, 12 June 2014 - 13:48
Red Cross to aid elderly in Netherlands
The Dutch Red Cross wants to expand care for the elderly in The Netherlands. The organization carried out research, revealing statistics that cast an unfavorable light on the state of health care in the country.
The research showed that 12 percent of elderly people in The Netherlands receiving care are sometimes left lying alone for some time after an accident at home. The Red Cross is initiating a campaign this week to raise money to improve care.
Elderly people above the age of 65 who die of injuries sustained after taking a fall has risen by 37 percent in six years, VeligheidNL reports. According to the Central Bureau for Statistics, this mostly affects people above 80 years old. In 2012, around 2100 people over the age of 80 passed away because of a fall.
The Red Cross wants to counter this statistic by expanding contact circles. These are networks through which elderly citizens who sign up for it are called every morning. They then have to call another participant until the circle is complete again. If a participant cannot be reached, then a direct call for help is made.
"In this way, a participant of the contact circle is never without help for more than 24 hours", according to the Red Cross. The organization also offers workshops for vulnerable pensioners to help raise awareness of risks in and outside the house, to prevent emergency situations.