Effect of Improved Indoor Lighting on Residents of Residential Care Homes With Dementia

Change from Baseline in sleep efficiency at Week 15,Change from Baseline in Fragmentation Index at Week 15,Change from Baseline in interdaily stability at Week 15,Change from Baseline in Intradaily variability at Week 15,Change from Baseline in L5 average at Week 15,Change from Baseline in M10 average at Week 15,Change from Baseline in number of naps at Week 15,Change from Baseline in agitation on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory at Week 15,Change from Baseline in depression on the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia at Week 15,Change from Baseline in pain on the Doloplus Scale-2 at Week 15,Change from Baseline in neuropsychiatric symptoms on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory at Week 15

Elderly with dementia living in residential care homes often have limited access to adequate
 lighting (daylight). Light can however positively impact the individual on a number of
 factors, including sleep quality and mental health. The proposed non-invasive study seeks to
 evaluate the impact of an improved lighting environment in the living areas of residential
 care home residents with dementia on both the physical and mental well-being of these
 individuals. To assess sleep quality, an actigraphy device will be used from which a number
 of parameters corresponding to sleep quality can be obtained. Mental health/behaviour of the
 participants will be assessed by validated questionnaires. These questionnaires will be
 filled for each participant independently by 2 members of the nursing staff.
 
 Two groups of residential care home residents will be observed during this study: an
 intervention group and a control group. In the intervention group, innovative lighting
 designs are already implemented in the living area. The control group will experience no
 significant modifications to their lighting conditions. Extra luminaires (floor lamp/table
 lamp) will be employed without significantly improving the light exposure during the day.
 
 It is hypothesized that the introduction of enhanced lighting during the day in the living
 area of the intervention group will result in improved sleep quality and enhanced mental
 well-being.