Therapeutic lighting design for the elderly: a review (original) (raw)
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Aims: Research suggests that specialised lighting design is essential to cater for the elderly users of a building because of reduced visual performance with increased age. This review aims to document what is known of the physical and psychological aspects of lighting and their role in promoting a healthy and safe environment for the elderly. Methods: A methodical review was carried out of published literature on the physical and psychological impacts of light on the elderly. Design standards and guides from professional organizations were evaluated to identify synergies and gaps between the evidence base and current practice. Results: Lighting has been identified as a significant environmental attribute responsible for promoting physical and mental health of the elderly. The evidence related to visual performance was found to be robust. However, guides and standards appeared to have focused mostly on illumination requirements for specific tasks and have lacked detailed guidelines on vertical lighting and luminance design. This review has identified a growing body of evidence on the therapeutic benefits of lighting and its use in treating psychological disorders among the elderly. The experiments using light as a therapy have improved our understanding of the underlying principles, but the integration of therapeutic aspects of lighting in design practice and guidelines is lacking. Conclusions: While design guidelines discuss the physical needs of lighting for the elderly fairly well, they lack incorporation of photobiological impacts. Despite positive outcomes from research, the implementation of therapeutic aspects of lighting in buildings is still debatable due to insufficient relevant investigations and robustness of their findings. Collaborations between designers and physicians can contribute in delivering customised lighting solutions by considering disease types and needs. Further investigation needs to be carried out for translating therapeutic benefits to photometric units to implement them in building lighting design.
A Systematic Review on the Therapeutic Lighting Design for the Elderly
2010
Research suggests that specialized lighting design is essential to cater for the elderly users of a building because of the physiological changes in the eye with increased age. Recent studies have established that lighting in a space impacts on users' physical performance as well as on the mental state. In particular, light therapies have been found to be successful in treating several mood disorders in the elderly.
A Proposal to Develop a Guideline for Indoor Lighting in Independent Senior Living Facilities
The objective of this research was to propose a lighting guideline. This was accomplished by comparing current lighting recommendations and standards for independent senior living facilities with lighting conditions in existing projects. The method used to develop this guideline was based on surveying a sample of senior residents in independent living communities in Northeast Ohio. In addition to the survey, onsite illuminance measurements were taken during the survey sessions. The results obtained were compared with the IESNA (1993) general illuminance and IESNA RP-28-98 (1998) guide for senior living environments. For most of the activities and spaces investigated, the illuminance levels in independent living residences were closer to those recommended for the general population. For the types of activities that require higher visual acuity, like reading, cooking, watching television , and other hobbies, the measured amount of light is not sufficient. In most cases, the lighting levels measured were lower than those recommended for senior living facilities. The study proposed illuminance levels that combine the IESNA illuminance recommendations and the elderly need to maintain a homelike, warm and cozy indoor lighting environment. ABSTRACT
LIGHTING DESIGN FOR THE AGING EYES
23rd International Conference on Researches in Science and Technology (ICRST), 2017
Lighting allows users to accomplish their tasks, feel safe and understand the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is an inseparable component of buildings. Building codes, energy standards and regulations determine the required illuminances to provide visual comfort. However, the existing requirements are constituted considering healthy eyes only. Different visual comfort requirements for people with visual disabilities, in particular for elderly people, are not clear. In fact, the illuminance requirements show great difference for elderly people. For instance, an average 60 years old eye requires three times more illuminance than an average 20 years old eye. Therefore, a lighting design that complies with the regulations may not satisfy elderly users' needs. The world's older population continues to grow remarkably. The increasing share of population of older people requires increase of awareness. In this study, technical lighting information has been offered to obtain visual comfort in living spaces occupied by elderly. Such information is critical for lighting design yet not sufficiently covered in literature. For that reason within this study, different visual requirements of each space type are emphasized to promote accessible design.
Ambient Lighting Assistance for an Ageing Population
2009
D1.1 Specification of the criteria for selecting the test persons, ie the sample of users to be involved (incl. a justification for the selection of the sample) and the description of tests to be performed. D1.2 Description of every-day events and activities where daylight and ...