The Namaste Room at Bethany Health Care Center is a very special place. According to Catherine Sabatini, Special Care Activities Director, it is here that residents of our special care unit find “sensory stimulation and one- on-one love.” Ana Tavares, the CNA who oversees this room, provides a space which is filled with loving details – soft lighting, beautiful soft music, fresh flowers, artwork on the walls, hand massages with scented lotions, seasonal decorations on pretty place mats for each resident, soft stuffed animals, and beverages to delight the senses. Each resident in this space receives individual attention.

Recently, we had a visit from Simona Bagarová who is interested in learning more about our best practices in Namaste. Simona is the Ambassador of Namaste for the Czech Republic where they are just beginning to implement Namaste. She learned about us from Joyce Simard, MSW, who pioneered Namaste Care in 2003 and is author of The End-of-Life Namaste Care Program for People with Dementia.

According to Catherine Sabatini, “Namaste is not just for the dying or for end of life care. People need it for the beautiful environment itself.” Simona Bagarová came to experience our space and spend time with Ana to see how we bring life to our residents through compassionate and loving care.

Pictured: Participants prepare packages while at the Solomon Carter Fuller center.

On December 14, 2019 sisters, associates, and agrégées gathered for our annual Advent/Christmas gathering. The pictures on this page tell the story of this celebration. Part of the celebration included a raffle which benefited The Literacy Connection and The Women’s Table. This year’s winner, Lois Connors, CSJ, is pictured below.