practical living
Let there be light
Bright ideas for designing aged
care facilities that improve the
health and wellbeing of residents.
David McNair interviewed by Dallas Bastian
ACI: In what ways is light and lighting
connected to health and wellbeing,
particularly when it comes to older
adults and people with dementia?
A
fter food, lighting is the most
important environmental input for
supporting physical wellbeing, the
author of a new book on the subject says.
David McNair, a chartered lighting
engineer from the UK, says lighting needs
to be well designed, thoughtful and
address the specific needs of older people
and people with dementia.
“If you are 75 years of age, you need
twice as much light as that for a 45-year-
old to be able to do the same things
comfortably,” McNair says.
Enlighten: Lighting for Older People
and People with Dementia, published by
the non-profit HammondCare Media,
walks readers through the ins and outs of
light and lighting, offering advice for care
professionals and insights for engineers,
architects and designers responsible
for new buildings, refurbishments and
alterations. Its co-author, Associate
Professor Colm Cunningham, director of
18 agedcareinsite.com.au
HammondCare’s Dementia Centre, says
that with almost 50 million citizens globally
living with dementia, there is a pressing
need to build environments that provide
people with the right lighting and access
to outdoors.
“Staff need to be educated and also
empowered to understand the importance
of these features to support the person
with dementia.
“Most people are aware that memory
loss and forgetfulness are signs of
dementia, but as the disease progresses
it can affect sensory perception and
communication.
“Good lighting can contribute to good
decision-making and has been shown to
improve confidence, increase appetite,
support mobility and therefore capacity
and decision-making.”
Aged Care Insite spoke with McNair to
find out his top lighting tips and how to
make improvements to any environment.
DM: Well, there are many strands to this
science. The first is in relation to circadian
rhythm. Circadian rhythms in the body
control functions throughout the body,
making sure that processes work in tandem
and not against each other. They’re very
important for health, curiously, as is
darkness at night.
The first thing is that light is a primary
entrainer of circadian rhythms. The
level of light, especially in interiors, is
very important for older people. Eyes
continually deteriorate through age. It’s
been recognised that a 75-year-old needs
twice as much light as a 45-year-old for
equivalent visual performance.
This becomes very important because
standards are generally written for people
aged around 45. Of course, if people in
interiors aren’t seeing well, there’s an
increased likelihood of trips. Trips are very
bad for older people. If they fall, they’re far
more likely to suffer serious fractures than
younger people.
Another strand for light is short duration
to sunlight, maybe 5–10 minutes every