Earlier this year we introduced Namaste Care to St Raphael’s Care Home in Edinburgh.
Namaste Care is an approach that provides comfort for people with advanced dementia. In the later stages of the condition, people can be profoundly physically and cognitively disabled; and therefore unable to engage in conventional activities. Namaste Care seeks to address this by engaging with each individual person's senses through sound, touch, smell, taste and sight.
Theresa McKenna is a Senior Care Assistant and has been with Viewpoint for the last 11 years. She was delighted when the opportunity came up to learn how to deliver Namaste Care. She now provides this stimulating, comforting, person centred experience to residents twice a week in St Raphael’s. Every week, Theresa creates a soothing environment for those attending. With lights dimmed and curtains closed, the room is filled with gentle colourful light, soft music playing in the background, therapeutic smell, touch and massage and food treats are all part of the multi-sensory environment created in the room. Through this sensory stimulation, especially the use of touch, Theresa helps each individual to relax. The benefits become obvious very quickly - this one-to-one care and attention helps those feeling agitated, anxious and tense to unwind, relax and feel calm.
The two basic principles of Namaste Care are creating a calm environment and providing activities and interactions with an unhurried, loving touch approach. Namaste (pronounced na-mas-the) is roughly translated as ‘to honour the spirit within’