The word ‘Namaste’ means ‘To honour the spirit within’, as Namaste Care honours the individual receiving its services. Developed and pioneered in the USA by Professor Joyce Simard, Namaste Care has two basic principles: a loving touch approach to all interactions, and a calm environment.
Professor Simard comments: “Namaste Care helps people with advanced illness to live, not simply exist, for as long as possible. It improves the end-of-life experience for the person with a terminal disease, their families and carers. When I created Namaste Care in a Vermont veterans’ home in 2003, I had no idea it would be adopted around the world, so it’s very exciting to be in at the start of this organisation.”
Namaste Care International was officially launched on the 5th of October 2018, with a one-day conference and celebration at Oatlands & Oatleigh Care Village in London, UK. Following this successful event, we continued to hold conferences annually, with our second conference taking place in 2019 being held at the state-of-the-art ORTUS Building. Delegates present had the opportunity to hear founder and honorary chair – Professor Joyce Simard – and other practitioners both from the UK and worldwide, speak of their experiences in delivering Namaste Care in a variety of healthcare settings. They were also able to join in on workshops targeted at specific healthcare settings.
Persevering through the pandemic, conferences continued to take place instead through an online setting across 2020, 2021 and 2022. This allowed us to reach new teams and a global audience, showing us the value that having these conferences available online would give. From then on, even once we were again available to host conferences in-person, the option to attend online was kept around so that those who wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity could now join in from the comfort of their own homes. We have had some world-renowned speakers speak at our conferences, including Dr Michael Verde of Memory Bridge and Naomi Feil, creator of the Validation Method. Our success has blossomed enough that we’ll be having this years’ conference span across two days instead of just one!
If you want to learn more about this year’s conference, click here
At Namaste Care International, our mission is to enhance the quality of life for people in the later stages of dementia and serious illness by advancing the practice of Namaste Care worldwide. We are committed to fostering a global community of practitioners, researchers, and caregivers through collaboration, knowledge exchange, and advocacy. By promoting excellence in care, we aim to ensure that every individual can experience dignity, comfort, and connection in their final stages of life.
Looking Ahead
Namaste Care International is dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of Namaste Care. We are working to expand the evidence base of Namaste Care by commissioning and supporting new research that highlights its impact and effectiveness. Alongside this, we are developing our website into a central hub for knowledge and resources, making the latest guidance, training, and evidence easily accessible to caregivers and organisations around the world.
A key priority is the creation of the Namaste Exchange, a global network that will bring together care homes, hospices, universities, and practitioners to learn from one another and share good practice across borders. By connecting people and ideas in this way, we aim to inspire excellence and consistency in Namaste Care, regardless of geography.
Above all, our vision is to nurture an international movement where compassion and evidence come together to transform care, ensuring that individuals everywhere can live their final stages with dignity, comfort, and human connection.
