Vanraam Duo bike supports elderly facing social isolation

Many lonely elderly live with social isolation, and with a growing group of elderly people, this will in all likelihood only increase. Fortunately, there are many people who work on combatting this issue, and various initiatives. An example of such an initiative is: duo cycling with elderly people.

A lot of older adults feel lonely. The loneliness of the elderly often starts by stopping work, but causes also include children leaving home, the loss of a partner and a limited social network. Loneliness or social isolation of the elderly is a growing problem and can have major consequences, especially for the elderly themselves. These include increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, health problems and even premature death. But how can we help lonely elderly? Keep in touch, become a volunteer or start an initiative yourself. An example of such an initiative is duo cycling with the elderly. In recent years, many (lonely) elderly people have been on the road with this initiative, or still, regularly go out on a duo bike.

Help lonely elderly: Why a (duo) bike?

Cycling is healthy! You are active in the open air, and cycling strengthens the heart, lungs and resistance. By exercising, the brain stays younger, you stay mobile longer, and you produce endorphins that make you feel better. Thus, cycling is a valuable activity to do with lonely elderly people, and you take them out of their social isolation.

What is a duo bike?

You have probably seen them before: a bike where two people sit side by side. One user controls the bike, and both users can pedal. The users both have good visibility and can easily communicate with each other because of the sitting positions next to each other. Many elderly people are no longer able to cycle independently, but the duo bike offers new opportunities. The passenger is not required to pedal along. With the optional disengagement hub, you can decide how you cycle together: the co-pilot is obliged to cycle along, the co-pilot cannot cycle along, or the co-pilot cycles along at his or her own pace. This makes the duo bike suitable for elderly people who can both actively or inactively pedal and feel the wind in their hair.

The Fun2Go duo bike from Van Raam

Van Raam is a manufacturer of unique special needs bikes. These are individual and multi-person bikes for people who can not (or can no longer) cycle on a regular bike. The Fun2Go duo bike is a bike with many features. For example, the duo bike is available with electric pedal assistance, which means that the cyclist(s) need less strength and effort and you can even cycle backwards with the assistance.

The duo bike has a lot of advantages. It not only promotes conducive loneliness among the elderly and is very cosy and healthy, but the Fun2Go also has many benefits:

• No step in, easy to take your seat
• Very agile, duo bike can rotate around its axis
• Multiple gears
• Shopping basket
• Parking brake
• Stable and firm
• Best tested

Many riders have already enjoyed the duo bike. For example, the organization Fietsmaatjes has been working for years to combat loneliness among the elderly, and even Dutch King Willem-Alexander has participated as a cycling buddy on the duo bike Fun2Go.

Source: https://www.vanraam.com/en-gb/advice-inspiration/news/duo-bike-for-lonely-elderly-against-social-isolation