Best Frailty Care (TOM)

The world’s population is aging rapidly. According to the World Health Organization, between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 will double from about 12% to 22%.

In the Netherlands, an aging population presents significant challenges to the healthcare system. By 2050, elderly individuals are expected to make up 26% of the total population. This demographic shift places considerable financial pressure on the Dutch healthcare system, with falls and fractures being the leading cause of non-disease related deaths among the elderly.

Key Challenges:

• Aging Population: The increasing number of elderly individuals highlights the growing need for innovative and effective approaches to support their autonomy and preserve their quality of life for as long as possible
• Falls and Fractures: Falls—which in many cases, could be prevented— are the primary cause of non-disease related deaths and injuries in this age group, leading to substantial medical and social costs
• Financial Pressure: The healthcare system faces rising costs due to the rising need for elderly care with medical expenses from falls exceeding €1 billion in 2019. These intertwined challenges hinder the ability of elderly individuals to live independently, and place a significant burden on healthcare systems. For this reason, many national and local health policies are focusing on effective strategies to promote healthy aging and independent living.

A coalition of partners including Danone Ecosystem, expert Dutch stakeholders (e.g., VeiligheidNL, ONVZ, Purpose, Wageningen University & Research and Publab), and Nutricia launched the Best Frailty Care (TOM) program, aiming to support seniors, healthcare professionals, and policy makers in the development of a holistic approach to support healthy aging.

TOM is a 4-month, holistic community group-based program that integrates 3 pillars: nutrition, physical activity, and social interaction. These pillars are articulated around group lunches during which nutritionists educate the program beneficiaries on healthy drinking and eating, individual sessions with a dietician, and physical activity sessions in groups supervised by physiotherapists.

This innovative and holistic program is now recognized as an effective and sustainable approach to preventing falls among seniors—and thus in accompanying them to remain independent, healthy, and thriving through every stage of aging.

Since launching in the Netherlands in 2017, this program has supported +8000 beneficiaries, trained +800 professionals, and has been rolled out in seven Dutch municipalities. The Ministry of Health now lists it as an approved and best practice intervention in the National Elderly Pact.

The city of Rotterdam, along with local partners, is continuing to deploy the Best Frailty Care program in new areas of the city and adapting the service to fit local seniors’ needs and activities.

Meanwhile, the coalition has started to roll out the program nationally. To facilitate the rollout, municipalities can solicit help from a TOM consulting team to deploy the program for their citizens and make sure all its tools are in place. In parallel, healthcare professionals, welfare organizations, and municipalities can follow the TOM trainings to learn about current best practices to improve healthy dietary habits and to reduce falls and injuries related to falls.

Program sustainability is being pursued through collaborations with municipalities, health insurance companies, and local organizations, integrating TOM into local health policies and practices.