Home › Research › Caregiving
Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes for people with advanced dementia: a systematically constructed review with framework synthesis
S Salvi, Nancy J Preston, Nicola Cornally, Catherine Walshe, Noeleen M. Brady, Serena M. Fitzgerald, Irene Hartigan, Carmen Elise Pocknell et al.. BMC Geriatrics, 2025-01-09
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Key themes identified were: (1) Frequency and duration of Namaste sessions. (2) Namaste Care environment and personalisation of care. (3) Staff engagement and training needs. (4) Involvement of family members and volunteers. Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes presents various challenges but also significant opportunities for enhancing the quality of life for residents with advanced dementia. Addressing key themes such as the frequency and duration of sessions, the environment and personalisation of care, staff engagement and training needs, and the involvement of family members and volunteers is crucial. Specifically, providing tailored training programmes for staff, creating dedicated Namaste Care spaces, and encouraging active family and volunteer participation can facilitate effective integration. By incorporating these pragmatic recommendations, Namaste Care can be sustainably integrated into daily care routines, leading to improved resident well-being, reduced behavioural symptoms, and enhanced caregiver-resident interactions.
Key findings
- Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria.
- Key themes identified were: (1) Frequency and duration of Namaste sessions.
- (2) Namaste Care environment and personalisation of care.
- (4) Involvement of family members and volunteers.
- Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes presents various challenges but also significant opportunities for enhancing the quality of life for residents with advanced dementia.
Why it matters
This review of 25 studies describes practical ways to run Namaste Care in nursing homes, such as staff training, dedicated spaces, and family and volunteer involvement. It reports opportunities to improve quality of life and reduce behavioural symptoms for residents with advanced dementia, but does not test a cure or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Geriatrics) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | BMC Geriatrics: journal h-index 153 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Roisin O’Neill: h-index 11 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Lancaster University: institution h-index 694 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39789441) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Salvi, S., Preston, N. J., Cornally, N., Walshe, C., Brady, N. M., Fitzgerald, S. M., et al. (2025). Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes for people with advanced dementia: a systematically constructed review with framework synthesis. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05636-4
Vancouver
Salvi S, Preston NJ, Cornally N, Walshe C, Brady NM, Fitzgerald SM, et al. Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes for people with advanced dementia: a systematically constructed review with framework synthesis. BMC Geriatrics. 2025. doi:10.1186/s12877-024-05636-4. PMID: 39789441.
BibTeX
@article{salvi2025-39789441,
author = {Salvi, S and Preston, Nancy J and Cornally, Nicola and Walshe, Catherine and Brady, Noeleen M. and Fitzgerald, Serena M. and Hartigan, Irene and Pocknell, Carmen Elise and others},
title = {{Implementing Namaste Care in nursing care homes for people with advanced dementia: a systematically constructed review with framework synthesis}},
journal = {BMC Geriatrics},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s12877-024-05636-4},
pmid = {39789441},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05636-4}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “care”
996 studies in the library carry the topic tag “care”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 996 tagged studies.