Human Forever: Reframing the Narrative Around Care: Summit 2026 Session

Why It Matters

Reframing dementia care from a control‑centric model to a humanity‑first approach could drive systemic reforms, influencing policy, investment, and product development across the aging‑care industry.

Key Takeaways

• Living among dementia patients reveals systemic lack of humanity.
• Closed wards prioritize safety over autonomy, limiting residents’ freedom.
• Expensive “autonomy” products often fail to improve quality of life.
• Cultural rules, not regulations, enforce restrictive protocols in care homes.
• Shifting care culture requires collective effort, not just more funding.

Summary

The Noville Trust Summit’s 2026 session featured Dutch nurse‑activist Ton Tubis, who spent three‑and‑a‑half years living on a closed dementia ward to experience care from the inside. His unconventional immersion sparked a broader discussion about how societies frame dementia, shifting the focus from clinical treatment to human‑centered living.

Tubis argued that the system suffers from a “lack of humanity” rather than resource shortages. Closed wards, lock‑door codes, and risk‑averse protocols—such as heat‑wave restrictions and blanket “risk analyses”—prioritize safety at the expense of autonomy and meaningful relationships. He highlighted how costly “autonomy” products, like wall‑mounted animal furries, rarely translate into genuine quality‑of‑life improvements.

Memorable moments included his description of the “code of freedom” that let him move freely, the contrast between smiling promotional photos and residents’ actual loneliness, and the Dutch legislation that has already opened 500 formerly locked wards. He also recounted a family‑member’s surprise at his own residency and the absurdity of denying garden keys to residents.

The takeaway for policymakers, investors, and care providers is clear: financial injections alone won’t fix dementia care. Real progress demands a cultural overhaul—engaging residents in decision‑making, dismantling restrictive norms, and redesigning environments to support authentic autonomy. Such a shift could reshape market demand for care technologies and redefine standards across the global health‑care sector.

Original Description

How we talk about care shapes public attitudes and policy decisions. This keynote from

Teun Toebes, international health care innovator and humanitarian activist, shares powerful insights from his experiences of living in a care home and his work challenging institutional models of care and promoting more human, relationship-centred approaches.

Session at Nuffield Trust Summit, Beaumont House, Windsor, 6 March 2026.