Awarded third place in the 2013 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards
in the Palliative Care and Hospice Category
Visit the Namaste Care website here!
Presenting the first program created specifically to serve the unique needs of a very special population, The End-of-Life Namaste Care Program for People with Dementia offers simple and practical ways for direct care staff to provide holistic end-of-life care for people with advanced dementia. With compassion, sensitivity, and creativity, the Namaste Care™ program affirms the individuality and enduring spirit of each person through comforting and meaningful sensory-based experiences.
Evocative scents, soothing music, and gentle massage are just part of this innovative program, which can be implemented with minimal resources and training and meets regulatory guidelines for person-centered activity programming. Step-by-step advice for staffing, budgeting, operating, and marketing the program is included along with detailed information for creating a Namaste Care room, wing, or alternative setting.
Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living memory care communities, and hospice organizations see many positive outcomes from implementing Namaste Care, including improved resident quality of life, increased family involvement, and strengthened staff morale.
New to this second edition:
- greatly expanded coverage of programming and adaptations for assisted living and hospice care
- more stories and vignettes to illustrate creative uses of Namaste Care and improvements in quality of life
- introduction of the No One Dies Alone program into Namaste Care
- revised and expanded discussion of dying and death to encourage greater sensitivity and understanding of this important passage for residents, their families, and staff
- international examples of Namaste Care programs and perspectives from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe
Format: E-book
e-ISBN 978-1-938870-20-0
E-book available through:
Also available through: Baker and Taylor, OverDrive, Garnders, and Follett
About the Author
Foreword by Ladislav Volicer, M.D., Ph.D.
Preface
Acknowledgments
- The Beginning
- What is Namaste Care?
- The Namaste Care Team
- The Namaste Care Setting
- The Namaste Care Day
- Implementing Namaste Care
- Assisted Living
- Quality of Life at the End of Life
- Dying & Death
Appendixes
- A—Namaste Care Nursing Supplies
- B—Namaste Care Activity Supplies
- C—Namaste Care Resources
- D—Namaste Care Activities of Daily Living Checklist
- E—Alzheimer’s Disease Bill of Rights
- F—Pain Assessment Scale in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) Scale
References
Index
Joyce Simard, M.S.W., is a private geriatric consultant to skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, and hospice organizations worldwide. She is also involved in research projects investigating the efforts of Namaste Care™ in Australia and the United Kingdom. She earned her bachelor of arts in sociology and social work from Ithaca College in New York and her master of social work from the University of Minnesota. She also serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Australia.
In addition to the Namaste Care™ program, Simard has developed other programs for people with memory loss. The Memory Enhancement Program (MEP) is for people experiencing memory loss above and beyond what is normal for their age and education. Residents in independent living and assisted living communities as well as those who participate in adult day programs benefit from this unique program. The Club is a program for residents in nursing facilities and assisted living who have moderate memory loss. Its implementation has resulted in a decrease in anti-psychotic medications as well as a decline in resident falls and improved staff and resident satisfaction.
Simard is the author of a children’s book about aging and dementia, The Magic Tape Recorder (2007), which was published in several languages and is currently out of print.
Simard is an internationally recognized speaker who has presented both to families of people with dementia and to healthcare professionals in the United States, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia. As a keynote or featured speaker at professional conferences, she is known for bringing humor and a light touch to serious subjects, teaching through stories of real experiences from her 35 years in healthcare. She also provides in-service training on a variety of subjects, including hospice, bereavement, comfort care, and activity programs for people with all stages of dementia.
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Administrator –
“Everyone wins with the positive enveloping Namaste approach to advanced dementia–residential care providers, care teams, caring families and best of all, people living with advanced dementia. Simard’s wise, experienced, practical, rich, and detailed specifics interspersed with inspiring stories of small miracles make real and achievable all the abstract ideals of dignified, compassionate quality care. Wouldn’t all of us be better off knowing Namaste (and ideally Joyce Simard) will be welcoming us to such a rich sensory environment when we are most likely to reap the benefits?”
―Lisa P. Gwyther, MSW, LCSW
Co-author, The Alzheimer’s Action Plan
Director, Duke Family Support Program, Duke University
Administrator –
“The Namaste Care program revolutionizes how to lovingly provide care for those facing advanced dementia and empowers healthcare providers to find the person within using creative, multi-model interventions. In her book, Joyce Simard leads you to the very heart of this approach to dementia care.”
―Russell Hilliard, PhD, LCSW, LCAT, MT-BC, CHRC
VP, Supportive Care, Research, and Ethics
Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care
Administrator –
“The Namaste Program captures the essence of loving touch for our Arden Courts residents. We have found that this sensory program provides meaningful moments and lasting memories for our residents, their families, and our staff.”
―John Graham, Vice President, HCR Manorcare
Administrator –
“Joyce Simard’s story of her professional development as a social worker and how she came to develop her world famous NAMASTE CARE is compelling reading! This book is a MUST for those caring for people with advanced disease – especially dementia. It puts into perspective the evidence for NAMASTE as Joyce explains her journey from reality orientation to validation therapy to Tom Kitwood’s work on personhood to the Eden Alternative to NAMASTE CARE. I know of Joyce’s work with us in the UK and this book explains it all.”
―Jo Hockley, RN, PhD
Nurse Consultant, St Christopher’s Hospice, London (U.K.)
Administrator –
“This book is a ‘must read’ for all healthcare professionals. Research shows that Namaste Care allows for positive and meaningful connections to be made with each individual. This program honours the person within by maintaining dignity and offering compassionate, heartfelt care.”
―Esther Chang, RN, BAppSc(Adv.Nur), MEdAdmin., PhD., FCN
Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Administrator –
“Gives the reader a step-by-step guide to implementing this amazing program without incurring high labor cost or capital expense. The results of the Namaste program at EPOCH buildings have been nothing short of heartwarming and wonderful for all who are touched by it.”
―Joanna Cormac Burt, Chief Operating Officer, EPOCH Senior Living