Eye care home launches namaste room

A care home in Eye has created a namaste room to provide specialist care for those living with dementia – and was joined by a special guest for the unveiling.  

The team at Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, welcomed the Mayor of Eye, Councillor Johnnie Walker, to cut the ribbon to officially open the namaste room.

The special new space within the home has been specifically designed for those living with dementia to receive person-centred Namaste Care in a calm environment.

‘Namaste’ is a Hindu greeting meaning ‘to honour the spirit within’, reflecting the person-centred approach at the heart of the scheme. Namaste Care seeks to engage people via their senses and emotions, and especially through the power of touch. 

Team members have undergone rigorous training in order to host Namaste Care sessions. Activities such as hand and foot massage, music therapy, themed sensory and movement sessions, or simply chatting to encourage reminiscence all take place in the relaxing setting created within the namaste room. 

Namaste Care can help calm people living with dementia, as residents enjoy the soft music in the room and the relaxing atmosphere helps to reduce any feelings of agitation. It can also increase team member fulfillment, helping them connect and communicate with residents through touch even when verbal communication is difficult. 

Claire Martin, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “Since the Namaste Care programme has been introduced, team members have worked incredibly hard to become Namaste Care Practitioners and have delivered sessions for small groups of residents up to five times a week – with some wonderful results for those living with dementia.  

“We’ve had really good feedback from residents as we extend the sessions out to those with less advanced dementia and other care needs. They appreciate that there’s dedicated, uninterrupted time set aside for quiet one-to-one interaction.  

“We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Eye to help us officially open the namaste room. We are extremely proud to have created the special space within our home where there are very few distractions and residents can learn to relax and feel really special. I know residents and their relatives would want to join me in thanking the team for the exceptional care they are providing.”

Hartismere Place has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, residential dementia, as well as short term respite care.

To find out more about Hartismere Place, please contact Senior Customer Relations Manager, Angela Hodge, on 01379 888276, email angela.hodge@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/hartismere-place