Restless dementia patients wander the hallways of care facilities at night and wake other residents, only to sleep in late and become agitated the following evening at sundown. 

Lighting Makes A Difference

These particular patients are hard to reason with. Coaxing patients back to sleep with interventions of chocolate, ice cream, and warm milk, but they often wake up again a few hours later.

Loss of memory due to Alzheimer’s can evoke fear. Other symptoms including poor sleep and anxiety can also have a significant impact on quality of life for many dementia sufferers.

Alzheimer’s patients often live in long-term care facilities, where they spend much of their time in underlit indoor spaces, leaving them in a state of “biological darkness.”

What’s the solution? More light.

Can it Make Seniors Happier

A study found that exposure to the light throughout the day increased sleep quality, decreased depression and lowered agitation among the seniors.

Observations from the nurses and caregivers found that the patients were more social.They were eating and behaving better. 

Lighting can guide the body’s biological clock in ways that make people happier and healthier, reduce symptoms of certain diseases and promote recovery.

For seniors with Alzheimer’s, lighting interventions appear to give caretakers a powerful tool, if not a silver bullet, to reduce negative symptoms that often go hand-in-hand with a disease that affects more than 5 million people in the U.S.

Change Your Lights

A study used circadian-lighting to keep seniors’ biological clocks in sync with the actual clock. Researchers put the bright, blue-ish lights in bedrooms and common spaces adjacent to residents’ favorite chairs and tables. The LEDs turned on automatically around the time patients woke up and switched off in the early evening to help them wind down before bed.

The seniors wore monitors to measure exposure to light. The bright light disturbed a few patients, increasing their agitation, though anti-depressants can have similar negative effects in some patients.

The vast majority of the clients, like to have a bright environments. Quite often particular patients, have a tendency to be more pleasant, more interactive with other clients and they sleep more sound during the nighttime.

Not Just a Placebo

Participants’ scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index showed fewer sleep disturbances. Using the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, patients began the experiment with an average score that correlates to mild depression and ended with an average score below that threshold. Patients’ agitation scores fell too.

A placebo light was used, below the level that would affect the circadian system for the experiment. The placebo light provided little relief from dementia symptoms.

Seniors with Alzheimer’s are primed to assist lighting research because they’re relatively sedentary with access to limited spaces. 

Lighting Makes All the Difference

We can do a lot better than what we’re doing right now in designing and implementing lighting. We now have the technology. It’s energy-efficient, so if you increase the amount of light, it’s not going to hurt your pocket in terms of energy. And the benefits are very impressive.

Open up the windows, open up your shades and let daylight come. Go outside for a walk in the morning, every day, at the same time. Increasing the amount of light in the home by a factor of four, but don’t forget to turn the lights off in the evening, mimicking the sun.

The Victorian Assisted Living and Retirement Community

The Victorian is an assisted living and retirement community that makes living independently, while at the same time feeling safe and secure, a reality. We strive to provide the best quality of life for all residents including those suffering from loneliness and depression.
We offer a comprehensive activity program that includes both physical and social activities to encourage emotional well-being. Our staff is trained to assist those with depression. If you or a loved one are considering assisted living, contact The Victorian today to learn more about our services or tour our community.