How namaste principles improve residents' lives.

Namaste Care is a programme developed in the United States to offer meaningful activities to care home residents with advanced dementia. The programme focuses on calming and soothing residents using sound, touch, smell and taste. These sensory techniques are delivered daily in a dedicated communal space. Christian Duffin visits a care home in Kent that has adopted the Namaste principles and talks to staff about the effect they have had on enabling residents to feel comforted and cared for. He also speaks to nurse consultant Jo Hockley who is leading a pilot study of the Namaste programme. Anecdotal evidence from the pilot suggests that staff involved in its delivery work better as a team, which means they provide better care to residents.