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.
Early life 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. 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.
Career Toebes began his career in the care sector as a caregiver at a nursing home at the age of 17. In 2018, he founded the 'sTeun en toeverlaat foundation, a platform with videos about the elderly and care. In 2021, he founded the Article 25 Foundation together with his friend, Dutch filmmaker Jonathan de Jong, as the chairman. In the same year, Toebes also became a member of the advisory council of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
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. He also performed in the theater, visiting various locations with the show VerpleegThuis. In 2022, it was announced that the book would be adapted into a drama series.
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. The English translation of the book released in September 2026 via September Publishing. The film won the Golden Calf Award at the Netherlands Film Festival. The film was subsequently acquired by Arte, ZDF, VRT, and Videoland. According to them, the documentary was led to discussions and educational programs at universities such as Cornell and Oxford.
In 2025, Toebes announced a sequel to the documentary, titled Human II Forever, set to release in 2026. The film was later acquired by PBS alongside SBS and RÚV.
Personal life 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.
Recognition Toebes has won several awards for his work and dedication to people with dementia. In 2019, he was named Brabander of the Year. In 2020, he won the Young Impact Award for his YouTube videos about older adults with dementia. In 2021, he won the first Cinekid Zapp Young Talent Award.
Bibliography
2021: The Housemates: Everything One Young Student Learnt about Love, Care, and Dementia from Living in a Nursing Home, De Arbeiderspers () 2023: Een wereld te winnen, in collaboration with Jonathan de Jong, De Arbeiderspers () 2026: Human Forever: Searching the World for a Better Quality of Life with Dementia, September Publishing ()
Filmography
+YearTitleRoleNotes2023De SociëteitSelfTalk show interview2023Human ForeverProducer2026SelfPreviously called Human II Forever
Reference