Care home residents became 'less agitated and calmer' due to Namaste Care

The Namaste Care Programme, offering intensive sensory stimulation for people with advanced dementia, has the potential to transform care throughout the sector, according to a recent study.

The research, which was carried out by St Christopher’s Hospice in London, explored the benefits of the Namaste Care Programme, which was being offered in six South London care homes.

The Namaste Care programme, was developed in America, with the title ‘Namaste’ meaning ‘to honour the spirit within’.

The programme is designed to engage people with advanced dementia through stimulating the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing and to enrich their quality of life.

Min Stacpoole, research nurse at St Christopher's Hospice, said: “Care staff, managers and relatives judged that the Namaste Care Programme had a positive impact on the quality of life of residents with advanced dementia, and on relationships within the care homes.

“In care homes with good pain management, Namaste Care was significantly effective in reducing behavioural symptom severity over time.”

The study found residents taking part in the Namaste Care programme were stimulated to be more alert and responsive, and engaged more actively with others (e.g. more eye contact and attempts to talk).

They were also relaxed and became less agitated as they experienced a calmer atmosphere and approach to care.

It also benefited care staff who found the Namaste Care programme helped them connect and communicate with residents and meet their human needs and it encouraged them to be creative in developing the programme for individual residents.

The programme runs seven days a week and requires commitment from the entire care home team to change their routines and focus on meeting the psycho-social and spiritual needs of their residents with advanced dementia.

Namaste residents are brought together into a dedicated space which is transformed to create a calm, welcoming ambience: soft music playing, use of scents, flowers etc.

During the session, the Namaste Care worker works one to one with each resident, offering gentle interventions such as washing hands/face and applying moisturising cream, while making eye contact and talking affirmatively to the resident.

When residents enter the Namaste Care Programme, a family conference is held to discuss the progression of the dementia and the ways staff can provide comfort and pleasure in this final phase.

Broaching end of life care earlier in the illness, in the context of offering something special, is preferable to last minute discussions about hospitalisation, tube feeding or medication.

A care worker who was involved with the Namaste Care Programme, said: “You look forward to that hour to go when you are going to have a nice calm atmosphere,you relax. You do things with the residents, you know, you enjoy the way they look, the happiness on their face, the smile when they get their one to one. So in a way it gives you satisfaction knowing that you’re doing something they enjoy as well.”

While another said: “I felt a sense of “Oh, where am I… this is lovely!” You know what I mean? It really hit me as I walked through the door – that is how quick it hit me. The feeling of relaxation and everyone is quiet… these are the people who are usually outside and usually standing up shouting – there’s one singing. They were all quiet.”