The Housemates
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.
Book details
- Format
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781914613395
- Published
- 3 August 2023
- Pages
- 256
- Duration
- Dimensions
- 135 x 216 mm
- Genre
- Memoir and Biography
- Imprint
- September
Reviews
'Celebrates the joy of intergenerational living, and questions whether we might treat old people differently' Fabulous
'A young Dutchman's compelling account of his decision to move into a care home shines a light on a system that erodes self-worth'
'There are plenty of uplifting and charming moments at Friday night drinks and chats with his new eighty and ninety-something friends, as they swap notes on clothes, their love lives and their lives before. But there is real urgency at the core of this book'
'Captivating'
'Uplifting and enlightening'
