AMSTERDAM — Even a terrible skiing accident couldn’t keep Barbara Ederveen-Winkler confined to her apartment for very long. After months of agonizing rehabilitation for her broken leg, she was eager to regain some semblance of independence and mobility.
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Being Dutch, Luitzen Dijkstra didn’t have to look far to find the activity he needed in retirement. After a heart attack, he especially wanted something to maintain his health and to increase life-giving interaction with others.
On the outside, the brick façade of the Occo Hofje looks like other stately buildings that line Amsterdam’s many canals. Yet stepping through the wooden doors reveals a surprisingly large grassy courtyard filled with flowers and trees — an oasis in a busy neighborhood.
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DEVENTER, The Netherlands — Whenever Gea Sijpkes wonders whether her innovations are succeeding at the elder care facility she runs, she strolls to the heart of the place, opens her eyes, and listens.
AMSTERDAM — After 25 years as a resident of the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam, Mieke Lunenberg knows nearly every corner and crevice of its narrow streets.
Located on the banks of the North Sea, The Hague is the seat of government of the Netherlands and known as an international city of peace and justice. The city is also working toward becoming an age-friendly leader, creating an environment that fosters independence and vitality.
On a typical day, Hans Ulrich, 79, keeps himself occupied with his many hobbies: reading, writing, exercising, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends, to name a few.
An undercurrent of anticipation surges among the crowd at the Cobra Museum of Modern Art café. Women and men sit at tables in the well-lit, white walled room, sipping cups of coffee and chatting. A smattering of them are in wheelchairs, and many have walkers and canes.
Hetty Winkler-Ekel turns off a quiet residential side street onto a busy avenue in her south Amsterdam neighborhood and floors it. Well, as much as possible in a car that maxes out at 28 miles per hour.
Please allow me to introduce you to Wim and Ineke, a typical couple from The Netherlands, a densely populated, prosperous little country in Northern Europe.