Dancing can be a medicine, including for people who have Parkinson’s disease. Health insurer De Friesland will reimburse dance lessons for that patient group from next year.
The Dance on Recipe foundation has been offering dance lessons since 2017, in collaboration with Rehabilitation Friesland, for people with Parkinson’s, including those who are in a wheelchair. This takes place at nine different locations in Friesland.
Scientific research now shows that the lessons pay off both mentally and physically, they give patients self-confidence and 55 percent of the dancers reduced their use of physiotherapy or even stopped using it at all.
oil slick
De Friesland responds to this. The health insurer will lower the financial threshold for participation in these dance lessons by partially reimbursing the lessons. The amount of the reimbursement depends on the use and the way in which people are insured, explains De Friesland spokesman Rob Propsma. “In any case, we hope that this will spread like an oil slick over the Netherlands and that others will follow now that it has been proven how beneficial dancing is.”
Propsma does not rule out the possibility that in the future, if there is a similar scientific basis for the effectiveness, the regulation may also apply to people with chronic pain or acquired brain injury.
Artistic director Marlien Seinstra of Dans op Recept is pleased with the recognition. “People move more easily and the pleasure of dancing and contact with others makes them feel better about themselves.”
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