Exploring the impact of Namaste Care for individuals with advanced dementia: a systematic review of costs, effects and benefits

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorParks, Tereza
dc.contributor.authorSoukopová, Jana
dc.contributor.authorTóthová, Dominika
dc.contributor.authorSmaling, Hanneke J. A.
dc.contributor.authorMurphy, Aileen
dc.contributor.authorVidovićová, Lucie
dc.contributor.authorHlavka, Jakub
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Union
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-30T13:50:06Z
dc.date.available2026-06-30T13:50:06Z
dc.date.issued2026-05-06
dc.description.abstractObjectives: 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/.en
dc.description.sponsorshipEuropean Union|101137270 Innovative UK
dc.description.sponsorshipUniversity Network for the Care Sector South Holland.
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent11
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid102899
dc.identifier.authororcidParks, Tereza
dc.identifier.authororcidSoukopová, Jana
dc.identifier.authororcidTóthová, Dominika
dc.identifier.authororcidSmaling, Hanneke J. A.
dc.identifier.authororcidMurphy, Aileen
dc.identifier.authororcidVidovićová, Lucie
dc.identifier.authororcidHlavka, Jakub
dc.identifier.citationParks, 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
dc.identifier.doi10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102899
dc.identifier.endpage11
dc.identifier.issn2044-6055
dc.identifier.issued5
dc.identifier.journaltitleBMJ Open
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:FA1A6896CBD7F16BE0B46004A9C4ABA6
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18981
dc.identifier.volume16
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Group
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038230663
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038230663?origin=resultslist
dc.rights© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re- use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectCaregiver
dc.subjectCaregivers
dc.subjectCost-benefit analysis
dc.subjectDementia
dc.subjectEconomics
dc.subjectHealth care costs
dc.subjectHuman
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectPalliative care
dc.subjectPalliative therapy
dc.subjectProcedures
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subjectQuality of life
dc.subjectTherapy
dc.subjectTreatment outcome
dc.subject[CUBS]
dc.titleExploring the impact of Namaste Care for individuals with advanced dementia: a systematic review of costs, effects and benefitsen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
e102899.full.pdf
Size:
782.26 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
Cork University Business School