NCI Train the Trainer
Session: 27th & 28th January
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Find our Speakers Here:
Sara Karacsony
- Senior Lecturer in Nursing
- at the University of Tasmania
- Dr. Sara has a clinical background in palliative care across specialist, community and acute palliative and supportive care services. Sara joined the project team on the first Australian-funded research study into the benefits of the multisensory, psychosocial Namaste Care program for people living with advanced dementia in Residential Aged Care Facilities. She continues to promote the program’s philosophy
Serena Salvi
- Research Associate (In-Touch)
- at Lancaster University
- Serena is a Research Associate at Lancaster University’s Department of Health and Research. Currently, she is involved in a European-led project focusing on non-pharmacological palliative care interventions for people with advanced dementia living in care homes. She holds a MSc in Developmental Psychology and a PhD in Behavioural Economics.
Vennus Ho Yuen-wai
- Registered Arts Therapist
- at Expressive Arts Therapy Association of Hong Kong
- Vennus, our Hong Kong champion, has been delivering Namaste Care workshops to Dr. Wang of Taiwan. This has been an exciting development for NCI. Vennus is a senior executive as well as a trainer, with an interdisciplinary focus that spans the fields of gerontology, dementia care, palliative care, spirituality, and expressive arts. Since 2017 she has been appointed a member of Guardianship Board of HKSAR Government and currently serves as Superintendent of the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Kwong Yum Care Home.
Emily Brown
- Namaste Practitioner
- at Medway NHS Hospital
- Emily has won the hospital hero award relating to her Namaste care provision in the hospital setting. She has also been the first NHS appointed Namaste practitioner, An amazing achievement for one of our trailblazing champions. Hello, my name is Emily Brown, and I have been doing Namaste Care at Medway Hospital since June 2020 working alongside the End Of Life Team. I have known and been trained in Namaste Care since 2012 when Joyce came to Medway. We continue to use Namaste Care in the hospital and the benefits for our hospital patients are outstanding.
Nicola Cornally
- Vice Dean of Research and Innovation
- at University College Cork
- A Registered General Nurse with a PhD in Medicine and Health, Nicola has extensive clinical and academic expertise in dementia palliative care, end-of-life planning, and healthcare design. She currently coordinates the In-Touch Horizon Europe project, a multinational cluster randomized controlled trial across seven EU countries, evaluating a non-pharmacological palliative care intervention aimed at improving comfort and quality of life for people with advanced dementia in care homes.
Hanneke Smaling
- Associate Director
- at NCI
- Hanneke is an Associate Director of Namaste Care International. She plays a crucial role in coordinating training frameworks and collaborations in clinical research. Hanneke is a genuine force of positive change and has been a pioneer for the spread of Namaste Care across the Netherlands and globally. Hanneke has a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychology and Organizational Psychology, as well as completing her PhD from 2011-2016 at Leiden University. Hanneke works as a senior researcher at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and University Network for the Care sector South-Holland – a network of the LUMC and 12 affiliated healthcare institutions
Rishi Jawaheer
- Director
- at NCI
- Rishi’s parents came from overseas to the UK in the 1970s, training as mental health nurses before becoming nursing managers at the NHS. They opened their first dementia care home in the 1980s, which Rishi grew up in. He eventually took over as Director for the Jawa Group and has now been for over 12 years. He has been a pioneer in the field of care management software, with the launch of Care Vision – an innovative cloud-based app for use in care home settings.
Joyce Simard
- Founder & Honorary Chair
- at NCI
- Joyce has been in the long-term care industry since 1978, working with large healthcare organisations to provide services for nursing facilities and assisted living communities. She is recognised for developing innovative programs for people with all levels of memory loss. Joyce has authored numerous books, articles and chapters on dementia-related issues and is widely in demand as a speaker throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia.
Michael Verde
- President
- at Memory Bridge
- Michael is an author, documentary maker, motivational speaker, and the founder of Memory Bridge, a multiple-award-winning international non-profit dedicated to ending the emotional isolation of people with dementia. He has a MA in literary studies, in theology, and is now completing his dissertation for his PhD, focusing on the area of empathic communication.
Martin Ang Seng Hock
- Lecturer
- at the Singapore Institute of Technology
- Dr. Martin is a Healthcare leader in Singapore with a background spanning many kinds of care. He has a particular passion for Namaste Care, as a person-centred approach for individuals with advanced dementia or approaching end of life. He remains deeply committed to advancing nursing education and practice through research, innovation, and person-centred care.
Hassan Fadli
- Founder
- at 5 Ironmans Beat Alzheimer’s
- Hassan started his journey as a caregiver in 2018 when his father was diagnosed with dementia, facing struggles which inspired him to found 5IBA to raise awareness, promote education and inspire research for Alzheimer’s across Europe. He will be talking at the conference on the destigmatization of dementia and empowering communities toward better care practices.
Highlights from the 2025 NCI Conference
Our recent NCI Conference in September 2025, was held at University College Cork, in Ireland, in collaboration with In-Touch Horizon Europe. This year’s conference was our largest to date, spanning two days and bringing together speakers and delegates from across the globe. The Conference was filled with new research, engaging NCI experience sessions, speaker sessions from industry leaders, including NCI Founder Professor Joyce Simard, NCI Director Rishi Jawaheer, and Hanneke Smaling.
The conference centred on the themes of Care, Connection and Culture, alongside Skills, Practice and Purpose. We were honoured to welcome an outstanding line-up of speakers, including Michael Verde (Founder of Memory Bridge), Hassan Fadli (Founder of 5 Ironmans Beat Alzheimer’s), Dr Sara Karacsony, and many others.
We are delighted by the success of the Conference this year, and we are looking forward to what will be coming for NCI in 2026.
Highlights from the 2024 NCI Conference
Our recent NCI Conference on 25 September 2024 brought together a community of Namaste Care advocates at LSBU’s REACT Institute. The event was filled with insightful discussions and knowledge-sharing, showcasing impactful approaches in dementia care from industry leaders, including NCI Founder Professor Joyce Simard, NCI Director Rishi Jawaheer and Sara Karacsony.
In a fitting highlight, Professor Simard was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Dementia Care Awards, recognising her work and contributions to the field.
We are energised by the success of this event and look forward to building on this momentum.
Explore a few highlights from the day!
We are energised by the success of this event and look forward to building on this momentum.
Explore a few highlights from the day!
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Upcoming Events
NCI Train the Trainer for January 2026
Namaste Care International Conference 2025
Recent News
Research paper into the effects of Namaste Care
A study was recently conducted across numerous homes within the Netherlands on Namaste Care, and how it affected residents versus using more traditional methods of care. You can find out more below!
A New Book on Namaste Care
Our NCI champion Simona Bagarová has created a new book on Namaste Care containing numerous interviews with different Namaste Care practitioners, including our very own Professor Joyce Simard
New Room created to deliver Namaste Care in a Hospital Setting
A new room has been created in Medway Maritime Hospital, where Dementia and end of life patients can receive Namaste Care away from the usual ward setting, with our champion Emily Brown as their practitioner.
Marta’s Experiences at this year’s Forum Alzheimer, Lugano
Our champion Marta Zerbinati had the privilege of speaking about Namaste Care at the Forum Alzheimer this year and held an experimental workshop which fully sold out.
A New Counselling and Support Office in Crete
Our Greek champion, Lena, will be launching a new Counselling and Support office based in Crete, called “Bridges of Care”. Namaste Care will be a core component of this new agency, and it will be incorporated into the training programs that will be offered to caregivers and professionals.
Learn About Our Training and Resources
Namaste Training Program
Namaste Care International offers training by professional, experienced trainers who learn directly from Professor Joyce Simard.
Namaste Care Resources
Explore the Namaste Care resources section for Scientific articles, conference abstracts and many more valuable materials.
Namaste Care Worldwide
Welcome to Namaste Care International, a not-for-profit membership organisation for the global promotion of Namaste Care.
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