High colour temperature lighting for institutionalised older people with dementia

Light, Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Older Adults With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

“…Sloane et al [76] showed a positive effect of a tailored light treatment (bluish white light, correlated color temperature = 13,000 K) designed to deliver 400 lux at the cornea, in selfreported sleep in caregivers of ADRD patients living at home, but not in sleep and behavior of the patients themselves. Van Hoof et al [73] did not find a significant effect on behavior and tympanic temperature rhythms in dementia patients after they were exposed to 500 lux at the cornea of a 17,000 K light source. Burns et al [72] exposed dementia patients to either 10,000 lux at the cornea (treatment condition) or 100 lux at the cornea (control) of light for four consecutive weeks and measured agitation and depression scores as well as actigraphy.…”

Light conditions for older adults in the nursing home: Assessment of environmental illuminances and colour temperature

“…As mentioned before [17,18], an improved lighting condition undoubtedly has benefits in terms of visual capacities. At the same time, special artificial lighting can never be a substitute for taking older adults outside or for care capacity problems.…”

“…Higher illuminances, hypothetically, of at least 2500 lx for older adults (Table 2) are a requirement for certain non-image forming (NIF) effects. These effects include the suppression of melatonin, circadian phase shifts, certain repercussions on human physiology in terms of heart rate, core body temperature, and brain activity, as well as effects on mood and behaviour [17,18,29]. In corridors, the threshold value for vertical illuminance was set at 200 lx, as mentioned previously.…”

“…These lower levels point to the need for light levels in nursing homes to be substantially higher than they are today. The aforementioned illuminances [18] were not considered for the measurements in this study as the specific age of potential residents was not included, and existing standards and guidelines were used for setting threshold levels.…”

Environmental Interventions and the Design of Homes for Older Adults With Dementia: An Overview

“…Moreover, the dining area should be well lit, so that people can see their food, but lighting should not be overpowering or glaring, and background noise should be limited to a nondistracting level. 23,49,55 Adequate exposure to light, for instance, near the dining table is important for the support of activities of daily living as eating, 23 whereas it also has benefits to behavior and circadian rhythmicity 77. 78 Some sources warn for poisonous plants that may be mistaken for edible vegetables.…”