What Living on a Dementia Ward Taught Me About Being Human

At 21, Teun Toebes made a decision that would change the course of his life. He moved into a locked dementia ward and lived there for more than three years, not to study dementia from a distance, but to experience daily life alongside people living with it. What he found challenges many of the assumptions we carry. In this talk from the End Well 2025 stage, Teun shares what it means to truly see the people behind a diagnosis. Through stories of friendship, connection, and care, he invites us to reconsider the way we think about dementia and the systems built around it. Because a better future for people living with dementia starts with something simple, and often overlooked. How we see them. Teun Toebes is an international healthcare innovator and humanitarian activist working to improve the quality of life for people with dementia worldwide. After living on a locked ward for over 3.5 years, he expanded his work globally through the documentary Human Forever, exploring how different cultures approach dementia care. He is also the author of the international bestseller The Housemates.