Sidcup care home launches namaste sessions

A care home in Sidcup has launched namaste sessions to provide specialist care for those living with dementia. 

Care UK’s Smyth Lodge, on Frognal Avenue, has launched a weekly namaste programme, where residents can benefit from person-centred care in a calm environment, specifically tailored for those living with advanced dementia. 

 

‘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 and may even reduce the need for medication. The residents enjoy the soft music in the room and the relaxing atmosphere helps to reduce any feelings of agitation. It can also help team members connect and communicate with residents through touch, even when verbal communication is difficult.

Tracey Cheeseman, Home Manager at Smyth Lodge, said: “Team members have worked incredibly hard to become Namaste Care Practitioners and are now delivering 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 are extremely proud to offer namaste care in an environment free from distractions where residents can relax and feel really special – and I know residents and their relatives would want to join me in thanking the team for the exceptional care they are providing.”

Smyth Lodge has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The state-of-the-art care home, which opened in 2019, provides full-time residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, and features a cinema, hair salon and activities room.

For more information about Smyth Lodge, please call Customer Relations Manager, Francois Erwee, on 0333 3053 474 or email francois.erwee@careuk.com.

For more general information about Smyth Lodge, please visit careuk.com/smyth-lodge.