Namaste Care
Namaste Care is a program I developed six years ago for nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Namaste is a Hindu term meaning, "to honor the spirit within" and I felt it was a perfect name for people who can no longer tell you who they were and who they are as they have lost the ability to speak. Since I first developed the program I have written numerous articles (Mathews Story) and in 2007 published a book “The Namaste Care Program for People with Dementia” the book is available from Health Professions Press.
This program has also been adapted for assisted living communities and hospice organizations. It is a seven day a week program where residents receive meaningful activities through a “loving touch” approach. Usually led by a certified nursing assistant, Namaste Care has enhanced the lives of people with advanced dementia or who are at the end stage of an illness. Staff feel that it provides them with a place to take residents after breakfast that surrounds them in a peaceful environment with other residents so that they are not isolated. Families report that a burden is lifted when they know a special place has been created for their loved one.
If you are interested in learning more about Namaste Care please visit the web site created for the program, or e-mail me at joycesimard@earthlink.net