Exploring the impact of Namaste Care for individuals with advanced dementia: a systematic review of costs, effects and benefits
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Date
2026-05-06
Authors
Parks, Tereza
Soukopová, Jana
Tóthová, Dominika
Smaling, Hanneke J. A.
Murphy, Aileen
Vidovićová, Lucie
Hlavka, Jakub
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Published Version
Abstract
Objectives: Namaste Care, a non-pharmaceutical daily multicomponent palliative care intervention, offers care for people with dementia, aiming to improve quality of life of those living with dementia as well as their family and caregivers. This systematic review explores the Namaste Care intervention and its clinical and economic effects in multiple care settings. The aim of this review is to consolidate existing evidence on Namaste Care’s clinical and economic outcomes and examine the tools used for data collection. Design: A systematic literature search was conducted (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) to identify peer-reviewed studies on Namaste Care’s impact on quality of life, costs, health, economic outcomes and benefits up to 22 February 2026. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, while the completeness of reporting of economic evaluation studies was evaluated according to the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2022 (CHEERS). Results: 31 studies reported the clinical and/or economic outcomes of Namaste Care. The results for quality of life and quality of dying were mixed, while 5 of 11 studies evaluating quality of life reported significant improvements. The various quality-of-life instruments used include the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia (QUALID), EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L instruments, ICEpop CAPability Measure for Older People (ICECAP-O), ICECAP Supportive Care Measure (ICECAP-SCM), Quality of Life for People with Dementia (QUALIDEM) and Carers-DEMentia Quality of Life (C-DEMQOL). The clinical outcomes considered included pain, behavioural symptoms and quality of end-of-life care. The Medication Quantification Scale and Minimum Data Set indicated reductions in antidepressant and antianxiety medication use. Seven studies reported significant improvements in well-being, and two studies reported reduced stress among family members following Namaste Care sessions. A subset of five studies reported a range of economic outcomes. Conclusion: The findings suggest that Namaste Care improves well-being, reduces caregiver stress and lowers the use of antidepressant and antianxiety medications at a moderate cost. The current literature is characterised by small, non-random, heterogeneous studies. Randomised controlled trials, which include economic evaluations, help to improve evidence-based research to support funding and implementation decisions on Namaste Care. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024560056. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Description
Keywords
Caregiver , Caregivers , Cost-benefit analysis , Dementia , Economics , Health care costs , Human , Humans , Palliative care , Palliative therapy , Procedures , Psychology , Quality of life , Therapy , Treatment outcome , [CUBS]
Citation
Parks, T, Soukopová, J, Tóthová, D, Smaling, H J A, Murphy, A, Vidovićová, L & Hlavka, J 2026, 'Exploring the impact of Namaste Care for individuals with advanced dementia: a systematic review of costs, effects and benefits', BMJ Open, vol. 16, no. 5, 102899, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102899