Tao of Care

What Tao of Care does

Tao of Care B.V., operating commercially as Sociale Benadering Dementie (SBD), is a Dutch professional services firm that develops and disseminates the 'Social Approach to Dementia' methodology. The methodology, created by founder Anne-Mei The, reframes dementia care around the person's life world (social roles, identity, relationships) rather than the disease, and is grounded in long-term ethnographic research and eight ongoing Social Trials across Dutch municipalities. The company monetizes this methodology through three product lines: structured training programs (Inspiratiesessie, Leertraject/Basisscholing, Kartrekkerstraject), workshops and lectures (including Anne-Mei The keynote engagements), and design/advisory consulting (Ontwerptraject, Denkkracht & Advies), plus annual events (SB Congres, Tweedaagse Terschelling).

The go-to-market is enterprise and consultative: SBD sells directly to Dutch care organizations, municipalities, health insurers, and welfare organizations through outreach, webinars, and customized proposals. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the firm's general terms bill professional services based on standard rates, time units, and deployed staff. SBD does not offer a software product — the core 'technology' is the copyrighted methodology, with Huis van de Tijd (a co-operated drop-in center) functioning as a physical flagship implementation site.

The business is anchored by an unusually strong institutional network: PwC Healthcare provides financial validation, ZonMW and the Ministry of VWS provide policy and funding alignment, Alzheimer Nederland provides advocacy, and large Dutch insurers (Zilveren Kruis, VGZ, CZ) participate in the Social Trials. Inclusion in the Nationale Dementiestrategie 2021-2030 and an explicit goal of national-standard status by 2030 position SBD as a mission-driven, policy-aligned consultancy rather than a venture-scalable software business.

Name

Tao of Care

Legal name

Tao of Care B.V.

Website

https://tao-of-care.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tao of Care B.V. (operating as Sociale Benadering Dementie) is an Amsterdam-based consultancy that delivers training, workshops, and advisory services for the proprietary 'Social Approach to Dementia' methodology, selling to Dutch care organizations, municipalities, and health insurers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dementia Care Training and Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care Management & Behavioral Support (HLADALAF)

Keywords

• Dementia care training
• Social approach methodology
• Healthcare consulting services
• Care organization training
• Elderly care workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training and Education Services: Fees for a broad range of training programs including Inspiratiesessie (inspiration sessions), Leertraject (learning trajectory), Kartrekkers-traject (champion trajectory), workshops, lectures, and conferences. Pricing is typically on request. Professional services fee calculated based on standard rates, time units spent, and number of employees deployed.
2. Design and Consulting Services: Custom design trajectories (Ontwerptraject) consisting of ethnographic research and 5 design sessions to create a tailored implementation plan for organizations. Also includes custom advisory services addressing specific questions around supporting vulnerable people and future-proof care models.
3. Speaking Engagements: Fees from lectures delivered by Anne-Mei The, with costs negotiated in consultation. When an organization implements the Social Approach, the lecture fee is credited against the final quotation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Tao of Care B.V. (operating as Sociale Benadering Dementie) sells professional training and consulting services that help Dutch care organizations, municipalities, welfare organizations, and health insurers adopt the proprietary "Social Approach to Dementia" methodology. The portfolio is organized around three pillars — training programs (Inspiration Session, Learning Trajectory, Champions Trajectory), workshops and lectures (SBD lecture/workshop, Anne-Mei The lecture, Tweedaagse Terschelling retreat, SB Congress), and Think Power & Advisory consulting including the Ontwerptraject custom design trajectory. All offerings are delivered as bespoke engagements priced on request, with the methodology and supporting IP owned by Tao of Care.

Product overview

Tao of Care operates as a training and consulting organization centered on the 'Sociale Benadering Dementie' (Social Approach to Dementia) methodology, developed by Anne-Mei The. The core product is the Social Approach methodology itself, which is delivered through three pillars: (1) Training Programs (Scholingen) including Inspiratiesessie, Leertraject/Basisscholing, and Kartrekkerstraject; (2) Workshops & Lectures (Workshops & Lezingen) including SBD lectures, workshops, and Anne-Mei The lectures; and (3) Think Power & Advisory (Denkkracht & Advies) including custom design trajectories. The company also organizes the biennial SB Congres and Tweedaagse Terschelling events. Tao of Care does not offer a software product but rather provides human-centered care methodology training and consulting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SBD Academy: The academy's training and education division offering structured learning programs in the Sociale Benadering methodology for dementia care professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quality of life for people with dementia improved from average score 6.5 to 7.4 within a year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• PwC Healthcare NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPwC Healthcare is the collaboration partner of Tao of Care within the Social Trials. PwC focuses on the changes needed within the system world to implement the Social Approach to Dementia and develop it as a national standard. PwC also provides financial analysis and case studies supporting the evidence base for the methodology.
• Huis van de TijdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA drop-in center operating according to the Social Approach. It serves as the home base for the Social Trial in Amsterdam and as a drop-in house for people with memory complaints. A collaboration between Cordaan, the Odensehuis, and Tao of Care. Featured in the documentary 'Thuis op Zuid' by Hugo Borst and Adelheid Roosen.
• Ten Have Change ManagementsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe professional team of advisors from Ten Have Change Management supports Tao of Care in mapping the integral change management challenge of the Social Approach.
• Netwerk NOOM (Netwerk van Organisaties van Oudere Migranten)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Organizations of Older Migrants is Tao of Care's collaboration partner regarding dementia and inclusivity, ensuring the Social Approach reaches diverse populations.
• Alzheimer NederlandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational dementia charity and its local chapters are listed as partners in the Social Trials, providing advocacy and patient/public alignment.
• Zilveren KruissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth insurer participating in Social Trials, contributing to funding and implementation of the Social Approach in covered care pathways.
• VGZsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth insurer participating in Social Trials, contributing to funding and implementation of the Social Approach in covered care pathways.
• CZsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth insurer participating in Social Trials, contributing to funding and implementation of the Social Approach in covered care pathways.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Vilans: Dutch national knowledge center for long-term care that develops methodologies, tools, and training programs used by care organizations and municipalities. Overlaps with Tao of Care in serving the same Dutch long-term and dementia care audience with practice-oriented methodologies and learning offerings.
• Mezzo: Dutch association for informal caregivers and caregiver support organizations, providing training, advice, and quality frameworks for caregiver support. Comparable as a Dutch organization focused on training and supporting those who care for vulnerable populations, intersecting with Tao of Care's caregiver training mission.

Others

• Pharos: Dutch knowledge center focused on health inequalities and inclusive care, producing training and methods for municipalities and care providers working with vulnerable populations. Adjacent to Tao of Care via its Netwerk NOOM partnership and shared audience of organizations caring for vulnerable elderly populations.
• Trimbos-instituut: Dutch knowledge center for mental health and addiction that develops methodologies, training, and interventions used by Dutch care and welfare providers. Relevant as an adjacent Dutch methodology/training organization serving overlapping buyers in mental-health-adjacent dementia care.
• Dementia UK: UK charity providing specialist dementia nursing (Admiral Nurses) and resources, training, and advocacy for families and care organizations. Comparable as a high-profile national organization shaping dementia care practice and training in a single country, similar to Tao of Care's national-movement positioning.
• Movisie: Dutch knowledge center for the social domain, producing methods, training, and advisory services for municipalities and welfare organizations. Adjacent because it operates in the same Dutch welfare/municipal buyer ecosystem that Tao of Care targets with its welfare-organization collaborations.
• Alzheimer Nederland: National Dutch dementia charity and patient advocacy organization that funds research, supports people with dementia, and influences policy. Listed as a Tao of Care partner; adjacent rather than competing, because it mobilizes the same dementia community that creates demand for SBD training.

Direct peers

• Innovations in Dementia: UK-based charity that develops and disseminates dementia care approaches grounded in the perspective of people living with dementia, including training, consultancy, and resources for care organizations. Highly comparable to Tao of Care as a small, mission-led consultancy pushing a social/life-world framing into dementia care practice.
• The Eden Alternative: International elder-care methodology and training organization that partners with nursing homes and care providers to shift culture around aging and dementia. Comparable to Tao of Care in that it sells a branded philosophy plus a structured training and certification program to care organizations across multiple geographies.
• Positive Approach to Care (Teepa Snow): US-origin dementia care methodology that trains care professionals and family caregivers in a structured approach to supporting people with dementia. It is the closest international analog to Sociale Benadering Dementie in that both sell a branded methodology and training curriculum to organizations and individuals caring for people with dementia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tao-of-care

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tao of Care