1
00:00:44,200 --> 00:01:12,300
[Music]

2
00:01:12,300 --> 00:01:31,566
[Soft piano music]

3
00:01:31,566 --> 00:01:33,399
>>Like most of us, 

4
00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,366
I’m afraid of getting old 

5
00:01:36,366 --> 00:01:37,632
and of the loneliness 

6
00:01:37,633 --> 00:01:39,599
that seems to come with old age. 

7
00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,066


8
00:01:43,066 --> 00:01:47,166
But maybe things don’t have to be that way. 

9
00:01:47,166 --> 00:01:50,932


10
00:01:50,933 --> 00:01:52,999
Jordi is a young artist.

11
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,033
>>Hello. Come in.

12
00:01:54,033 --> 00:01:57,233
>>And he lives in a unique old folk’s home 

13
00:01:57,233 --> 00:01:58,333
in the Netherlands.

14
00:01:58,333 --> 00:02:00,533


15
00:02:00,533 --> 00:02:02,533
He paints and creates craft projects, 

16
00:02:02,533 --> 00:02:05,666
like this table he made from a piano crate.

17
00:02:05,666 --> 00:02:07,332
And you do that a lot with the residents; 

18
00:02:07,333 --> 00:02:08,333
you make crafts and things.

19
00:02:08,333 --> 00:02:10,166
>>Yeah. I try to do it.

20
00:02:10,166 --> 00:02:11,932
>>And is that a picture of your family?

21
00:02:11,933 --> 00:02:13,199
Can you show me? 

22
00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,600
>>My grandfather and my grandma 

23
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:16,800
when I was younger.

24
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:18,566


25
00:02:18,566 --> 00:02:19,299
>>It’s adorable.

26
00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:20,933
>>Yeah. I love them.

27
00:02:20,933 --> 00:02:24,233
I love them a lot.

28
00:02:24,233 --> 00:02:24,999
>>Is it . . . 

29
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,833
Is the relationship with your grandparents 

30
00:02:26,833 --> 00:02:29,699
that helps you be so good with the elderly here?

31
00:02:29,700 --> 00:02:32,200
>>I think also because they . . . 

32
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,366
they teach me so much good things, 

33
00:02:35,366 --> 00:02:39,632
how to go around to people that uh  . . . 

34
00:02:39,633 --> 00:02:42,599
Yeah. Nah. Everything.

35
00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,933


36
00:02:44,933 --> 00:02:45,966
>>Not long ago, 

37
00:02:45,966 --> 00:02:49,199
the Dutch senior citizens who live at Humanitas 

38
00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,200
invited Jordi and five other students 

39
00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,200
to move in rent-free.

40
00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,866
The students all told me that living here 

41
00:02:56,866 --> 00:02:58,432
is nothing like you’d expect.

42
00:02:58,433 --> 00:03:23,966


43
00:03:23,966 --> 00:03:25,532
>>One of Jordi’s favorite ways 

44
00:03:25,533 --> 00:03:27,466
to spend time with his neighbors 

45
00:03:27,466 --> 00:03:30,132
is by taking them around the town of DeVanter 

46
00:03:30,133 --> 00:03:33,033
by a specialized tandem bicycle.

47
00:03:33,033 --> 00:03:35,233
It’s just one of the ways that Humanitas 

48
00:03:35,233 --> 00:03:37,433
tries to make life in its community 

49
00:03:37,433 --> 00:03:38,866
a little more fun.

50
00:03:38,866 --> 00:03:59,799


51
00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,000
>>It was CEO’s Gea Sijpkes idea 

52
00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,200
to offer these students rooms at Humanitas.

53
00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:06,633
And all she asked in return 

54
00:04:06,633 --> 00:04:07,933
was that the students spend 

55
00:04:07,933 --> 00:04:10,466
at least 30 hours a month 

56
00:04:10,466 --> 00:04:15,132
acting neighborly to the senior residents.

57
00:04:15,133 --> 00:04:21,666


58
00:04:21,666 --> 00:04:24,766
Jurrien Mentink says that Humanitas’ offer 

59
00:04:24,766 --> 00:04:27,132
couldn’t have come at a better time.

60
00:04:27,133 --> 00:04:28,133
Many Dutch students 

61
00:04:28,133 --> 00:04:30,333
in and around Amsterdam today 

62
00:04:30,333 --> 00:04:32,233
can’t find a room to rent at all. 

63
00:04:32,233 --> 00:04:33,466
>>Now I have to cook dinner.

64
00:04:33,466 --> 00:04:34,599
>>Yes.

65
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:51,866


66
00:04:51,866 --> 00:04:54,399
>>Jurrien is 22 years old, 

67
00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,533
and his neighbors, like Joke Van Beek, 

68
00:04:56,533 --> 00:04:59,333
are in their 80’s and 90’s.

69
00:04:59,333 --> 00:05:01,233


70
00:05:01,233 --> 00:05:02,566
Despite the age gap, 

71
00:05:02,566 --> 00:05:05,166
Jurrien and Joke’s friendship is a dynamic 

72
00:05:05,166 --> 00:05:08,266
that often seems like it’s between two teenagers.

73
00:05:08,266 --> 00:06:00,099


74
00:06:00,100 --> 00:06:01,900
>>Friendships like this one 

75
00:06:01,900 --> 00:06:05,100
are exactly what Humanitas is trying to nurture.

76
00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:15,233


77
00:06:15,233 --> 00:06:17,899
How Jurrien spends his 30 hours a month 

78
00:06:17,900 --> 00:06:20,866
of service is up to him.

79
00:06:20,866 --> 00:06:25,132
His official title isn’t staff or volunteer.

80
00:06:25,133 --> 00:06:26,899
It’s good neighbor.

81
00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:38,033


82
00:06:38,033 --> 00:06:39,333
>>At Humanitas, 

83
00:06:39,333 --> 00:06:42,533
good neighbor somehow means being part local, 

84
00:06:42,533 --> 00:06:43,933
part friend, 

85
00:06:43,933 --> 00:06:45,166
part grandchild, 

86
00:06:45,166 --> 00:06:46,699
part social worker, 

87
00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:49,066
part healthcare provider, 

88
00:06:49,066 --> 00:06:50,966


89
00:06:50,966 --> 00:06:53,399
and some days it means teaching 

90
00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,366
an 84-year-old woman to play beer pong.

91
00:06:56,366 --> 00:07:42,999


92
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:55,200
[Rock music]

93
00:07:55,200 --> 00:08:46,233


94
00:08:46,233 --> 00:08:48,766
>>I noticed early on that the students here 

95
00:08:48,766 --> 00:08:52,766
often talk with a sort of calm beyond their years.

96
00:08:52,766 --> 00:08:56,266
They don’t often seem much of a hurry.

97
00:08:56,266 --> 00:08:58,199
Jurrien says that is one of the most 

98
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,000
important life lessons 

99
00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:00,966
the students have learned 

100
00:09:00,966 --> 00:09:02,266
from their elderly neighbors.

101
00:09:02,266 --> 00:09:30,232


102
00:09:30,233 --> 00:09:32,966
The students all talk about Mrs. Hofsteede 

103
00:09:32,966 --> 00:09:35,799
as a role model 

104
00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:37,100


105
00:09:37,100 --> 00:09:41,566
for living a full and happy life in later years.

106
00:09:41,566 --> 00:09:43,266
She moved in a few years ago.

107
00:09:43,266 --> 00:09:52,366


108
00:09:52,366 --> 00:09:55,166
She lives on the seventh floor 

109
00:09:55,166 --> 00:09:58,032
in a spacious room overlooking the park, 

110
00:09:58,033 --> 00:09:59,899
and she says she feel younger 

111
00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:02,533
than her 88 years.

112
00:10:02,533 --> 00:10:04,666
>>Hello.

113
00:10:04,666 --> 00:10:13,466


114
00:10:13,466 --> 00:10:16,632
>>At lunch time, the most social time, 

115
00:10:16,633 --> 00:10:18,599
every day at Humanitas, 

116
00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,400
Mrs. Hofsteede always sits at the same table.

117
00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,466
You see, the Humanitas dining room 

118
00:10:24,466 --> 00:10:27,499
is a lot like a high school cafeteria.

119
00:10:27,500 --> 00:10:30,400
Mrs. Hofsteede is quite popular, 

120
00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:31,933
and so she always sits 

121
00:10:31,933 --> 00:10:34,499
with the other popular girls, 

122
00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:36,466
like her best friend Antonia, 

123
00:10:36,466 --> 00:10:40,566
whose nickname is “the trash compacter.”

124
00:10:40,566 --> 00:10:41,532
>>Appetite. 

125
00:10:41,533 --> 00:10:42,266
>>Yeah? 

126
00:10:42,266 --> 00:10:43,732
>>I like that.

127
00:10:43,733 --> 00:11:17,799


128
00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,466
>>And like high school, 

129
00:11:19,466 --> 00:11:21,432
lunchtime is when the rumor mill 

130
00:11:21,433 --> 00:11:24,066
really starts to turn.

131
00:11:24,066 --> 00:11:26,166
Outside of the time they volunteer, 

132
00:11:26,166 --> 00:11:27,632
the students are free to live 

133
00:11:27,633 --> 00:11:29,633
without any special restrictions,

134
00:11:29,633 --> 00:11:32,766
going out or bringing people home 

135
00:11:32,766 --> 00:11:34,166
just as they like.

136
00:11:34,166 --> 00:12:13,366


137
00:12:13,366 --> 00:12:15,166
>>And there’s a lot more flirting 

138
00:12:15,166 --> 00:12:17,166
that goes on than I expected to find 

139
00:12:17,166 --> 00:12:18,666
in an old folk’s home.

140
00:12:18,666 --> 00:12:52,866


141
00:12:52,866 --> 00:12:53,999
>>The students all like 

142
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,166
teaching their senior neighbors a lesson 

143
00:12:56,166 --> 00:12:58,732
from time to time.

144
00:12:58,733 --> 00:13:02,699


145
00:13:02,700 --> 00:13:04,133
Everything Mrs. Middelburg knows 

146
00:13:04,133 --> 00:13:06,399
about the internet she learned from Jurrien.

147
00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:28,000


148
00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,300
>>But Jurrien says that none of this feels 

149
00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:33,266
like some community service.

150
00:13:33,266 --> 00:13:36,632
He and Mrs. Middelburg just like hanging out.

151
00:13:36,633 --> 00:14:11,899


152
00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:14,066
>>And how do Jurrien's own family 

153
00:14:14,066 --> 00:14:16,732
feel about him living here at Humanitas?

154
00:14:16,733 --> 00:14:18,233


155
00:14:18,233 --> 00:14:20,366
His parents have been as surprised 

156
00:14:20,366 --> 00:14:22,932
as he has been to find that Jurrien 

157
00:14:22,933 --> 00:14:24,733
seems very happy here indeed.

158
00:14:24,733 --> 00:14:46,533


159
00:14:46,533 --> 00:14:47,566
>>There is, of course, 

160
00:14:47,566 --> 00:14:49,399
the unavoidable loneliness 

161
00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,033
that accompanies dementia.

162
00:14:53,033 --> 00:14:54,699
The dementia ward is equipped 

163
00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:57,500
with everything you could expect.

164
00:14:57,500 --> 00:14:59,233
But it has little of the warmth 

165
00:14:59,233 --> 00:15:03,333
of the rest of the residents.

166
00:15:03,333 --> 00:15:06,099
Jordi feels an added responsibility 

167
00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:08,166
to help those suffering dementia.

168
00:15:08,166 --> 00:15:46,732


169
00:15:46,733 --> 00:15:49,999
>>Lucius is this man’s stage name, 

170
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,533
but I was never given another one, 

171
00:15:52,533 --> 00:15:55,566
and I never got the chance to ask.

172
00:15:55,566 --> 00:15:57,366
We didn’t get to talk for very long.

173
00:15:57,366 --> 00:16:00,199
Lucius lost the ability to talk much 

174
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:01,833
about the here and now.

175
00:16:01,833 --> 00:16:11,633


176
00:16:11,633 --> 00:16:14,033
>>I saw in Lucius immediately 

177
00:16:14,033 --> 00:16:16,666
the kind of kindred spirit, 

178
00:16:16,666 --> 00:16:20,099
and it was like a glimpse of a possible future self

179
00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:25,033
set adrift in my own fading memories.

180
00:16:25,033 --> 00:16:27,866
Having exchanged barely a word with him, 

181
00:16:27,866 --> 00:16:30,699
meeting Lucius affected me a great deal.

182
00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:40,566


183
00:16:40,566 --> 00:16:43,032
The hardest thing about living here, 

184
00:16:43,033 --> 00:16:45,233
old or young, 

185
00:16:45,233 --> 00:16:49,766
is how often death comes to call.

186
00:16:49,766 --> 00:16:52,032
Some of the seniors are still racked 

187
00:16:52,033 --> 00:16:54,833
with intense longing for lost loved ones.

188
00:16:54,833 --> 00:17:13,733


189
00:17:13,733 --> 00:17:16,333
While many others, like Mrs. Middelburg, 

190
00:17:16,333 --> 00:17:19,399
seem almost unfazed by the realities of death.

191
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:35,866


192
00:17:35,866 --> 00:17:38,432
A few of the students had never seen death 

193
00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:41,433
up close before living here.

194
00:17:41,433 --> 00:17:44,199
For them, facing death has been the hardest 

195
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,233
and maybe most valuable lesson 

196
00:17:46,233 --> 00:17:48,066
that Humanitas has taught them.

197
00:17:48,066 --> 00:18:33,066


198
00:18:33,066 --> 00:18:34,899
Jurrien is about to graduate 

199
00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:38,600
from a degree in urban planning, 

200
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:41,300
but he is now considering devoting his career 

201
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:43,466
to old age care instead.

202
00:18:43,466 --> 00:18:53,266


203
00:18:53,266 --> 00:18:54,666
No matter which direction 

204
00:18:54,666 --> 00:18:56,466
he chooses from here, 

205
00:18:56,466 --> 00:18:58,266
Jurrien won’t forget the importance 

206
00:18:58,266 --> 00:18:59,866
of being a good neighbor, 

207
00:18:59,866 --> 00:19:03,832
like he has been to Joke Van Beek.

208
00:19:03,833 --> 00:19:05,166
That day he told me 

209
00:19:05,166 --> 00:19:07,266
that he had started to see the signs 

210
00:19:07,266 --> 00:19:09,699
of Joke slipping away, 

211
00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:12,366
and then only a few weeks later, 

212
00:19:12,366 --> 00:19:14,532
Joke passed on.

213
00:19:14,533 --> 00:19:16,899
And I know that Jurrien has missed her 

214
00:19:16,900 --> 00:19:18,300
since she’s been gone.

215
00:19:18,300 --> 00:19:24,366


216
00:19:24,366 --> 00:19:26,699
It took me a litttle while to grab hold 

217
00:19:26,700 --> 00:19:28,900
of what makes this place different 

218
00:19:28,900 --> 00:19:32,233
than anywhere else I’ve been.

219
00:19:32,233 --> 00:19:34,466
Humanitas hasn’t somehow 

220
00:19:34,466 --> 00:19:38,199
cut out the hard realities of aging.

221
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,633
It’s just that it lets so much more than that 

222
00:19:41,633 --> 00:19:43,333
through its front door.

223
00:19:43,333 --> 00:19:45,899


224
00:19:45,900 --> 00:19:47,133
As I went to say goodbye 

225
00:19:47,133 --> 00:19:48,833
on the last day of my visit, 

226
00:19:48,833 --> 00:19:51,899
I passed by the weekly wheelchair dance recital.

227
00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:55,800
[Clapping and music] 

228
00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:57,100
This was the other moment 

229
00:19:57,100 --> 00:19:59,066
that really stayed with me.

230
00:19:59,066 --> 00:20:04,099
[Upbeat Dutch music] 

231
00:20:04,100 --> 00:20:05,633
Again, I could see myself 

232
00:20:05,633 --> 00:20:09,399
reflected back years on from now, 

233
00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,233
and for that moment, 

234
00:20:11,233 --> 00:20:13,466
I really didn’t mind the idea of getting old.

235
00:20:13,466 --> 00:20:14,299


236
00:20:14,300 --> 00:20:24,300
[Upbeat Dutch music] 

237
00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:40,166