Housemates : Everything One Student Learnt About Love, Care and Dementia from Living in a Nursing Home

The international bestseller - an uplifting story of cross-generational living and friendship.

Twenty-one-year-old nursing student Teun Toebes (both broke and curious) decided to move into a nursing home and experience the daily life of elderly residents, not as a nurse or a carer - but as a housemate. The experience was to change his life, as well as the lives of his new friends.

He initiated Friday drinks, trips out and camping evenings, and reintroduced pleasure in the small things in life: a laugh, a dance, a cup of good coffee, a chance to sit in the sun. As he became embedded in the community, however, Teun became more and more distressingly aware of how society and the care system diminishes the elderly and particularly people living with dementia – and he resolved to do something about it.

A number 1 bestseller in the Netherlands, The Housemates is Teun Toebes’ story of his years of being a housemate, the friends who changed him and a heartfelt cry for change in how we care for 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 a closed ward of 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 the 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.

teuntoebes.com
article25foundation.com