Jurrien Mentink is one of six students who live rent free at the Humanitas retirement home in Deventer near Amsterdam. In return, they agree to spend at least 30 hours a month socialising with the older residents. (see our earlier post)

The old and young people have become very close by living side-by-side.They learn from each other. “Things are a lot more fun when we’re all together,” 93-year old Annie says as Jurrien shows her how to use Facebook on her tablet. “They become like your own sons… you consider them like your own family.”

“What I see from the elderly is that they really enjoy the little things,” Jurrien explains. “Young people are so focused on their future that they don’t notice things like how beautiful this park is, they’re just racing through it on their way to work or school.”

Here you can see a short video about life in this special retirement home.