Teun Toebes
Teun Toebes
Social Welfare | Care of the Elderly
As the eldest in a family of four with a mother who is a nurse, care has always been part of Teun Toebes life. So, the choice to study Higher Vocational Education nursing and Care Ethics and Policy was a logical step – the choice to work with people living with dementia was not. During a compulsory internship, he was introduced to dementia care and has not been able to let go of it since.
Currently, Teun contributes to dementia care by not only observing and studying people living with dementia, but by living with them permanently on the closed ward in a nursing home. He focuses on having fun and maintaining personal contact with all his housemates to create moments of happiness and thus improve their quality of life.
Teun is a young and passionate co-founder and ambassador of the Article 25 Foundation. He often appears in the media and is seen as an inspiring face of dementia care in Europe. Teun has won several awards for his work and initiatives, strengthening his mission to make dementia care more humane worldwide.
‘[The Housemates] not only celebrates the joy of this particular form of intergenerational living, but irradiates the often-grim truth of life in Western dementia care … a lovely and humane book.’
Telegraph
‘A young Dutchman’s compelling account of his decision to move into a care home shines a light on a system that erodes self-worth.’
Observer
READ MORE REVIEWS
‘There are plenty of uplifting and charming moments at Friday night drinks and chats with his new eighty and ninety-something friends, as they swap notes on clothes, their love lives and their lives before. But there is real urgency at the core of this book.’
THE TIMES
‘Capitvating.’
Daily Express
‘Celebrates the joy of intergenerational living, and questions whether we might treat old people differently.’
