Dementia and end of life (EOL) patients can now receive an alternative holistic treatment away from a ward setting thanks to a dedicated space that’s been created at Medway Maritime Hospital.
The Namaste Care Room, based on Tennyson Ward, offers a quiet, non-clinical space for the hospital’s Namaste Care Practitioner Emily Brown to deliver Namaste care to patients following a referral from nursing staff.
Namaste care, which means ‘honouring the spirit within’, aims to help the person feel calm and safe by surrounding them with familiar things and stimulating their senses with physical, sensory and emotional activities and interactions, all of which are carried out with a loving approach. This can include playing music the patient enjoys for sound, putting on their favourite perfume for smell, giving them a drink, they like for taste, or a hand massage or hot towel shave for touch.
To help Emily deliver this care, the room features a blue sofa and framed artwork, a water fountain, humidifier, and star projector, as well as blankets and a cupboard for patient’s items to be stored while they receive treatment. There is also a dining table and chairs which patients can sit at to enjoy lunch or take part in activities.
Emily, who was appointed as the UK’s first Namaste Care Practitioner in a hospital setting back in 2023, came up with the idea of a dedicated room towards the end of last year but it finally becoming a reality thanks to The Medway Hospital Charity funding the furnishings. A record player with a built-in radio was also donated by Tanya Tappenden who works on the Ward.
Emily said: “I’m extremely grateful to The Medway Hospital Charity for supporting my vision to provide a calm environment where patients can just relax, have a cup of tea, enjoy lunch and have a Namaste care session in a home away from home setting.
“As well as allowing me to deliver Namaste care to patients, it is also a multi-purpose room that can be used by clinical staff to talk to relatives about their loved one’s condition or to help calm patients if they become upset or overwhelmed while they are in a ward setting. Families of our patients are also welcome to enjoy the room with their loved ones when they visit them.”
The hospital became the first in the UK to introduce a Namaste care service following a successful pilot on Tennyson Ward in 2020, which was instigated by both Emily and the End of Life Care Team.
Emily added: “My plan is to create more Namaste care rooms on other wards but I chose Tennyson Ward to host the first one as it holds a special place in my heart because that’s where the service started and the staff there continue to support me.
“Before I started working for the hospital I worked as a carer for 13 years. Dementia and EOL are my passion so offering this kind of care is extremely important to me because dementia and EOL patients still have lives, family, passions and dreams. To be in a job role where I can ease someone’s worry about their hospital stay and help them to feel safe, or help someone to have a good death, or support family members to understand what they can do to help their loved one, is a real honour.”
Donna Law, Head of The Medway Hospital Charity, said: “We were delighted to fund items for the new Namaste Care Room within Tennyson Ward. Being in hospital can be a distressing time for any patient, but for those living with dementia, it can often be more stressful. To create a safe, non-clinical space, that feels like a home is really impactful. Our patients now have access to familiar surroundings and we hope this welcoming space aids their recovery.”
Jonathan Wade, Interim Chief Executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust which operates the hospital, said: “Our clinical staff ensure our dementia patients and end of life patients get the very best care, but Emily’s work helps us go one step further when providing quality of life until the end of life for those who are sadly dying.
“By creating a dedicated Namaste Care Room Emily can deliver this personalised care away from the bed side with no distractions ensuring we provide our patients with a better experience during their stay with us.”