New Program Revitalizes Hospice Care
for Alzheimer's Patients
By:
Heather Colman
Yoga practitioners are probably familiar
with the phrase
Namaste, which is used to greet fellow
practitioners at the end of every
yoga
session. When the phrase is accompanied with
hands pressed together, prayer-like, and a small bow, it is an
Indian equivalent of a Western handshake, but it is also more
than that. It signifies a humble acknowledgement of and
reverence for the spirit or spark of divinity in a fellow human
being.
The Namaste program, a new program for patients in the final
stage of Alzheimer’s Disease, strives to respect the inner
spirit of dementia patients facing the end of their life by
utilizing the resources of family and staff within
nursing
homes in a unique way. The program does not
call for more people or money. Instead, it requires specialized
training, caring and creative staff, and a willingness to
implement simple activities into dementia patients’ final days
that will honor their life and their death.
In a case study that the Namaste program’s creator provided for
an article in the January/March 2005 issue of Alzheimer’s Care
Quarterly, a special room in the Vermont Veterans Home in
Bennington, Vermont was set aside for day programming for
patients in the final stage of Alzheimer’s Disease. Special
attention was paid to their comfort, and staff focused on
clothing, grooming and hygiene, nutrition,
exercise, soft music and comfortable beds and
chairs. Patients’ humanity was emphasized with activities that
they would personally enjoy. For example, gazing out a window
and listening to a tape of birds chirping was planned for a man
who was an outdoors enthusiast.
Staff consistently communicated with the patients with praise,
conversation, and physical contact, such as hugs and massages,
which did not allow isolation to occur. Finally, staff supported
family members emotionally and welcomed them to share in both
their loved one’s life and death. Finally, when death was
imminent, patients were moved into a private room, given pain
medication, and surrounded by their loved ones who were fed,
accommodated, and supported by staff.
When death occurred, the patient was honored with mementos of
their life, such as pictures and a plant. Family members and
staff accompanied the patient as far as the hearse. No part of
the journey was left unappreciated or unrecognized.
Programs like Namaste are important for patients in the final
stage of Alzheimer’s Disease. While nursing homes often have
special sections of their facility devoted to Alzheimer’s
patients and special activities planned for them, options for
programming diminish as dementia increases and patients reach
the end of their lives. Facilities are often too understaffed to
provide the kind of personal attention that caregivers desire
for their loved ones.
Some experts believe that placement in a traditional nursing
home may actually speed death in many patients. Alzheimer’s
disease is, ultimately, a fatal condition, and patients and
their families have as much right to the highest quality of
end-of-life care as other terminal patients. Without programs
like Namaste, which focus on the whole being—mental, physical,
and spiritual—nursing homes may deprive patients and their
families of the support and respect they deserve.
This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is
granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made,
and this entire resource box is included.
Article
Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Learn more about Alzheimer's disease at
FreeAlzheimersInfo.com
