As the eldest in a family of four with a mother who is a social psychiatric nurse, care has always been part of his life. So the choice to study nursing (BSc) and care ethics (MA) was a logical step, the choice to get involved with people with dementia was not. During a mandatory internship, he was introduced to dementia care and since then he has not been able to let go of his concerns about it.

How is it possible that, from all good intentions, we have created an exclusionary system in which we ourselves would rather not find ourselves? And above all, how can we change this system for the better? These questions came to him and resulted in the answer: we need to take a more nuanced view of dementia and start living together more.

‘I strongly believe that looking differently leads to doing differently, and that we ourselves hold the key to change. After all, dementia is not a healthcare problem, but a social issue.’

Based on the belief that a better world for people with dementia is a better world for all of us, Teun Toebes made the choice at the age of 21 to live in the closed ward of a nursing home. By not only observing and studying people with dementia, but by living permanently with them in a nursing home, he focused on improving the quality of life by listening to a voice we have not heard for a long time.

For more than 3.5 years, he lived with people with dementia. While living in the nursing home, he and filmmaker Jonathan de Jong decided to take his mission to the next level and bring a different story about dementia to the world stage. This global quest through 11 countries across four continents resulted in the international award-winning independent documentary: Human Forever.

‘The change has begun, so let’s continue it together.’

Right now, in his own and modern way, Teun Toebes is contributing to a hopeful future for all of us. Follow him on social media via @teuntoebes and become part of the global movement for a more inclusive and better world.