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Teun Toebes

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Teun Toebes
Toebes in 2026
Born (1999-05-23) May 23, 1999 (age 27)
Best, North Brabant, Netherlands
Education
OccupationNurse
Known forDementia advocacy
Websitehttps://www.teuntoebes.com

Teun Toebes (born 23 May 1999) is a Dutch nurse, author, and activist known for his work with people with dementia. he is one of the co-founders of the Article 25 Foundation, a non-profit organisation advocating for quality-of-life improvements for dementia patients.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Toebes was born on 23 May 1999 in Best, a town in the province of North Brabant, the eldest of four children, to a psychiatric nurse mother and an accountant father.[2][3] He completed his Bachelor of Nursing at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences and a master's degree in Care Ethics and Policy at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht.[4][5][6]

Career

[edit]

Toebes began his career in the care sector as a caregiver at a nursing home at the age of 17.[3] In 2018, he founded the 'sTeun en toeverlaat foundation, a platform with videos about the elderly and care.[7][8] In 2021, he founded the Article 25 Foundation together with his friend, Dutch filmmaker Jonathan de Jong, as the chairman.[9][10][11] In the same year, Toebes also became a member of the advisory council of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.[9][12]

Toebes has several publications to his name. In 2021, he published the book The Housemates (Dutch: VerpleegThuis), which debuted at number 1 in The Netherlands.[13] He also performed in the theater, visiting various locations with the show VerpleegThuis.[14] In 2022, it was announced that the book would be adapted into a drama series.[15]

In 2023, together with de Jong, they traveled around the world and made the documentary Human Forever (Dutch: Een Wereld te Winnen) alongside a book with the same name in Dutch, dealing with how dementia is treated around the world and how culture and community affects people with dementia.[16][17] The English translation of the book released in September 2026 via September Publishing.[18] The film won the Golden Calf Award at the Netherlands Film Festival.[10][19] The film was subsequently acquired by Arte, ZDF, VRT, and Videoland.[20] According to them, the documentary was led to discussions and educational programs at universities such as Cornell and Oxford.[20][21]

In 2025, Toebes announced a sequel to the documentary, titled Human II Forever, set to release in 2026.[20] The film was later acquired by PBS alongside SBS and RÚV.[18][21]

Personal life

[edit]

In 2020, Toebes once lived in a closed ward at the Voorhoeve nursing home in Utrecht when he was 21 years old. He then exchanged his room and moved two years later at the Verpleeghuis Groenelaan in Amstelveen. He did this for about three years to experience living in an institution and observe how dementia patients were treated.[3][22][23]

Recognition

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Toebes has won several awards for his work and dedication to people with dementia. In 2019, he was named Brabander of the Year.[24] In 2020, he won the Young Impact Award for his YouTube videos about older adults with dementia.[7] In 2021, he won the first Cinekid Zapp Young Talent Award.[25]

Bibliography

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  • 2021: The Housemates: Everything One Young Student Learnt about Love, Care, and Dementia from Living in a Nursing Home, De Arbeiderspers (ISBN 978-1914613395)
  • 2023: Een wereld te winnen, in collaboration with Jonathan de Jong, De Arbeiderspers (ISBN 9789029547888)
  • 2026: Human Forever: Searching the World for a Better Quality of Life with Dementia, September Publishing (ISBN 978-0715656570)

Filmography

[edit]
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2023 De Sociëteit Self Talk show interview [26]
2023 Human Forever Producer
2026 There Is No Society † Self Previously called Human II Forever [18][20]

Reference

[edit]
  1. ↑ Michiel (2023-10-21). "Teun Toebes' Ontroerende Wereldreis: De Documentaire 'Human Forever' Werpt Een Broodnodig Nieuw Licht op Dementiezorg". BrightVibes (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-13.
  2. ↑ Koelewijn, Rinskje (2021-11-18). "Teun Toebes: 'Jij hebt een totáál ander beeld van mensen met dementie dan ik'". NRC (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  3. 1 2 3 Kelly, Guy (2023-07-23). "'I'm 24, perfectly healthy – and I live in a nursing home'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
  4. ↑ "Zorgvernieuwer Teun Toebes: 'Laten we beginnen met het openen van de gesloten afdeling'". Hart voor Zorg (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  5. ↑ "Teun Toebes Pathé Eindhoven". fontys.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  6. ↑ "Documentaire Human Forever in première". Leyden Academy on Vitality and Aging. 10 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Teun Toebes (20) uit Best wint Young Impact Award voor YouTubevideo's over dementerende ouderen" (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  8. ↑ Maarhuis, Nadine (2020-05-20). "De 21-jarige held Teun Toebes bezorgt mensen met dementie geluksmomenten". MaatschapWij (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  9. 1 2 Bleijenburg, Ronella (2025-06-02). "Zorgvernieuwer Teun Toebes: 'Mogen mensen nog gewoon mens zijn?' | Vereniging Gehandicaptenzorg Nederland". www.vgn.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  10. 1 2 Janssen, Hans. "Teun Toebes wint Gouden Kalf: menswaardig bestaan voor mensen met dementie". Omroep Brabant (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  11. ↑ "Who we are". Article 25 Foundation. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  12. ↑ Beijen, Marijne (2021-11-20). "De huisgenoten van Teun Toebes (22) hebben dementie: 'Ze hebben het gevoel dat ze er niet mogen zijn'". Vrij Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  13. ↑ Ryan, Declan (2023-07-30). "The Housemates by Teun Toebes review – the dementia nurse who moved in with his patients". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  14. ↑ "VerpleegThuis live in Theater Harderwijk: Teun Toebes schetst nieuw mensbeeld van mensen met dementie". harderwijkercourant.nl (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  15. ↑ "Boek van Teun Toebes wordt dramaserie". Boek van Teun Toebes wordt dramaserie (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  16. ↑ "Documentaire Human Forever - de kracht van het alledaagse". Ijsselbode.nl - Al het nieuws uit Oudewater (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  17. ↑ Gelder, Arno (2024-09-21). "Teun Toebes woonde samen met mensen met dementie: 'Ik maak me zorgen om hoe we met deze groep mensen omgaan'". Metronieuws.nl (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  18. 1 2 3 Whittock, Jesse (2026-09-15). "PBS Buys Dutch Dementia Doc 'Human Forever'". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  19. ↑ "Human Forever". Nederlands Film Festival. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Clarke, Stewart (2025-12-16). "Sequel To Hit Dementia Documentary 'Human Forever' In Production: 'Human II Forever' Set For 2026 Release". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  21. 1 2 "PBS, SBS, and RÚV pick up Dutch social impact documentary "Human Forever" - Señal News". senalnews.com. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  22. ↑ "BBC Radio 5 Live - 5 Live In Short - 24-year-old lives in care home as housemate". BBC. Retrieved 2026-08-29.
  23. ↑ Sjerps, Marieke (2023-11-01). "Teun Toebes: 'Een verpleeghuis is geen thuis voor mensen met dementie'". Reporters Online (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  24. ↑ Van de Laar, Imke (2019-12-25). "Brabant heeft gekozen: dit is de Brabander van het Jaar 2019". Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  25. ↑ Redactie (2020-10-14). "Teun Toebes wint eerste Cinekid Zapp Young Talent Award". Spreekbuis.nl (in Netherlands Dutch). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  26. ↑ NTR, Omroep. "De Sociëteit - De Sociëteit". NTR (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-07-25.
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