Presenting the first program created specifically to serve the unique needs of a very special population, The End-of-Life Namaste Care Program for People with Dementia offers simple and practical ways for direct care staff to provide holistic end-of-life care for people with advanced dementia. With compassion, sensitivity, and creativity, the Namaste Care™ program affirms the individuality and enduring spirit of each person through comforting and meaningful sensory-based experiences.

Evocative scents, soothing music, and gentle massage are just part of this innovative program, which can be implemented with minimal resources and training and meets regulatory guidelines for person-centred activity programming. Step-by-step advice for staffing, budgeting, operating, and marketing the program is included along with detailed information for creating a Namaste Care room, wing or alternative setting.

Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living memory care communities, and hospice organisations see many positive outcomes from implementing Namaste Care, including improved resident quality of life, increased family involvement, and strengthened staff morale.

New to this second edition:

Greatly expanded coverage of programming and adaptations for assisted living and hospice care

more stories and vignettes to illustrate creative uses of Namaste Care and improvements in quality of life

Introduction of the No One Dies Alone program into Namaste Care

Revised and expanded discussion of dying and death to encourage greater sensitivity and understanding of this important passage for residents, their families and staff

International examples of Namaste Care programs and perspectives from the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia

Joyce Simard, M.S.W., is a private geriatric consultant to skilled nursing centres, assisted living communities, and hospice organisations worldwide. She is also involved in research projects investigating the effects of Namaste Care™ in Australia and the United Kingdom. She earned her bachelor of arts in sociology and social work from Ithaca College in New York, USA and her master’s of social work from the University of Minnesota, USA. She also serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Australia.

In addition to the Namaste Care program, Simard has developed other programs for people with memory loss. The Memory Enhancement Program (MEP) is for people experiencing memory loss above and beyond what is normal for their age and education. Residents in independent living and assisted living communities as well as those who participate in adult day programs benefit from this unique program. The Club is a program for residents in nursing facilities and assisted living who have moderate memory loss. Its implementation has resulted in a decrease in anti-psychotic medications as well as a decline in resident falls and improved staff and resident satisfaction.

Simard is the author of a children's book about aging and dementia, The Magic Tape Recorder (2007), which was published in several languages and is currently out of print.

Simard is an internationally recognised speaker who has presented both to families of people with dementia and to health care professionals in the United States, Europe, Australia and parts of Asia. As a keynote or featured speaker at professional conferences, she is known for bringing humour and a light touch to serious subjects, teaching through stories of real experiences from her 35 years in health care. She also provides in-service training on a variety of subjects, including hospice, bereavement, comfort care and activity programs for people with all stages of dementia.