The Namaste Care Family Program focuses on improving the quality of life of nursing home residents with dementia and their relatives by making meaningful connections. Healthcare professionals deliver the program together with volunteers and family.
Namaste VIMP (2020 – 2022)
With the ‘Distribution and Implementation Impulse’ (VIMP; grant by ZonMw), we meet the needs of relatives and healthcare professionals to promote the implementation and quality of the Namaste Family Program by working together with the target groups to:
1) develop and provide additional training
2) develop a practical manual for relatives of nursing home residents
3) train healthcare workers to become Namaste trainers
4) set up a registration system for Namaste trainers
5) register the program in the database of evidence-based interventions of Vilans
Namaste RCT (2014 – 2019)
Namaste Care is an American care program that focuses on the quality of life of nursing home residents with advanced dementia and their loved ones. Having meaningful contact is central, for example through touch or by doing something together. This study investigated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Namaste Care Family Program in the Netherlands, a culturally adapted version of Namaste Care, based on questionnaires, interviews, care data and observation of nursing home residents.
In the first year, a pilot study was carried out in which a number of questionnaires and observation instruments were translated and adapted for use in the Netherlands. Feedback from relatives was used to implement improvements and select the best questions for the study. The researchers now have more insight specifically into the usefulness of questionnaires on family experiences with caring for the person with dementia in the nursing home setting.
In total, 19 nursing homes participated in the (main) study. The 10 intervention homes were trained and have implemented the Namaste Care Family Program. The 9 control homes continued to provide regular care during the study period. Measurements were done at baseline and after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Information was also collected about residents who died during the study period. After 12 months, relatives, volunteers and healthcare professionals were interviewed about their experiences with the Namaste Care Family Program. We also pilot-tested whether the Namaste Care Family Program was suitable for people with dementia living at home.