Abstract
ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of the Namaste Care programme on the behavioural symptoms of residents with advanced dementia in care homes and their pain management.
MethodsSix dementia care homes collaborated in an action research studyone withdrew. Inclusion criteria were a dementia diagnosis and a Bedford Alzheimer's Nursing Severity Scale score of >16. Primary research measures were the Neuropsychiatric InventoryNursing Homes (NPI-NH) and Doloplus-2 behavioural pain assessment scale for the elderly. Measures were recorded at baseline and at three 1-2 monthly intervals after Namaste Care started.
ResultsManagement disruption occurred across all care homes. The severity of behavioural symptoms, pain and occupational disruptiveness (NPI-NH) decreased in four care homes. Increased severity of behavioural symptoms in one care home was probably related to poor pain management, reflected in increased pain scores, and disrupted leadership. Comparison of NPI-NH scores showed that severity of behavioural symptoms and occupational disruptiveness were significantly lower after initiation of Namaste Care (n=34, p
ConclusionsWhere there are strong leadership, adequate staffing, and good nursing and medical care, the Namaste Care programme can improve quality of life for people with advanced dementia in care homes by decreasing behavioural symptoms. Namaste is not a substitute for good clinical care Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 702-709 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 22 Oct 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2015 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- advanced dementia
- behavioural symptoms of dementia
- quality of life
- care homes
- pain
- Namaste Care
- NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INVENTORY
- AGITATED BEHAVIOR
- OF-LIFE
- ENGAGEMENT
- PEOPLE