Interviews

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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’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 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.

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.

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

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.