Namaste NHS

Ever wondered what Namaste would look like in NHS?

Namaste Care in a hospital setting is necessarily flexible and adaptable – some patients may not be on the ward for long but can nonetheless benefit from the intervention. Namaste Care can easily be taken to the bedside as this is usually more appropriate in hospital and the person providing it is able to exercise as much imagination and inventiveness as they are capable of. The seasons of the year can be a useful hook to hang sessions on: flowers and birdsong in Spring, beach sounds and textures e.g. sand in Summer, leaves and ‘cosy’ music in Autumn and Christmassy scents and music in winter. Alternatively religious festivals if appropriate for the patient.

Testimonial

When I was trialling Namaste Care on Tennyson Ward for 6 months I got to see the impact on the hospital patients, staff and family members. Unfortunately due to Covid no visitors were aloud but I would call the next of kin before and after a session with their loved ones and each of them appreciated the update and took comfort in the fact that I was there to love their loved one at a difficult time. One lady comes to mind. She was at the end of her life and her husband wasn’t able to come in because he was also Covid positive. The End Of Life Team at Medway Hospital informed me that they thought she didn’t have long left. I called her husband to ask if he’d like me to say, do or play anything in particular and he shared his wishes for his wife with me, so I packed my goody box of Namaste things, put on full PPE and went straight into her side room. She wasn’t in pain but was tense. I introduce myself while taking her hand in mine. I played “I did it my way” by Frank Sinatra (as informed by her husband) and used lavender spray in the room, I had a soft moisturiser and I sat by her bed side. I started giving her a light hand massage and spoke to her about her family and informed her I have spoken with her husband and that she is so loved, she is safe and she is not alone. Her body became less tense while I was with her. I combed her hair saying how beautiful she was and I just tried my best to make her space full of calmness and love. I was with her when she took her last breath. It was very peaceful and I put that down to Namaste Care. Her husband took great comfort knowing she wasn’t on her own and that she felt loved before leaving. I then continued with Namaste Care after her passing (preparing the body for the morgue) right up until her body was collected. Namaste Care has had a tremendous impact at Medway Hospital for everyone. People who may not have heard about it have witnessed it in al it’s glory and now understand and respect Namaste Care.

Namaste Care Family Programme In NHS

Our Resources

NHS

NHS – Namaste Care Introduction – (English)

Namaste Care Introduction

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Namaste NHS In Action

Have a look through all the amazing pictures we have captured. If you do have any photos that you would like to share with us then please feel free to share with us at info@namastecareinternational.co.uk

Emily Brown

Hello my name is Emily Brown and I have been doing Namaste Care at Medway Hospital since June 2020 working along side the End Of Life Team but 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. I am lucky to have the support of Namaste Care International and am proud to be the hospital champion for the UK. We already have two training sessions booked up in the hospital within the next couple of months so more people can understand, appreciate and use Namaste Care. I have been in care since 2008 and found my passion when working with people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and end of life care. I started at Medway hospital in November 2019 and noticed something was missing and that thing was Namaste Care. With the help of my colleagues and Namaste Care International Namaste Care in now within the hospital setting and we are aiming for it to be throughout the NHS

Namaste Testimonials

Namaste Care is all about bringing joy and comfort in the lives of people with dementia. By using meaningful activities, we try to connect with the person with dementia. It is about the little moments where you feel that you were able to true connect with the person with dementia to motivate me to continue. For example seeing a smile on the face of the resident that is often non-responsive, hearing a resident speak a full sentence that before Namaste did not say more than one or two words, and seeing the woman that always wandered the corridors sitting in the Namaste room in a comfortable chair with a relaxed expression on her face. The beauty of Namaste Care lays in its simplicity, no expensive equipment or elaborate training is necessary, just loving care and personal attention. It helps family caregivers to meaningfully connect to their loved one. It is a great tool to bring person-centred palliative care to life and to involve family caregivers in a positive way with the care for their loved one.

We are closer to our clients” said one caregiver to me after few months of Namaste care programme in their care home. And that’s the point. Be close to our clients, be able to perceive their individual needs and be able to slowdown in daily routine. Namaste care is about the most common things which we forget to use. It’s about kindness, touch, senses and people. Namaste care is about relationships between clients and caregivers. What you give, you get. Namaste care International is the most inspiring online meeting which you can imagine. How often do you have a chance to speak with people all around the world? Namaste care International is about support, inspiration and common goal which is dignity and quality as a basic principle of care.