The Dignified Death of an Alzheimer's Patient
Posted: Friday, March 10, 2006
by Joseph Green
http://good-health-matters.com
By Joe Green
We all wish our loved ones to die with dignity. We also
need to feel that we did everything we could to make their
last days and hours as comfortable as possible and that we
respected their wishes and beliefs.
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 with End
Stage 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 an innovative way. It does not need additional
staff or extra funding. 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 with End Stage 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 with End
Stage 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 the 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.
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