TABLE TALK:
CREATIVE SOLUTION TO
Deliver Circadian-Effective Light By ALLISON THAYER, MS Light and Health Research Center at Mount Sinai
Complexity of Application Implementing a successful bright light design is no simple matter, mainly because delivering sufficient light from overhead luminaires to occupants' eyes for stimulating the circadian system can be challenging, costly, and energyinefficient. In settings populated by older adults, delivering adequate light can be even more challenging, as pathologies of the aging eye (e.g., lens thickening, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, etc.) can block the transmission of light to the part of the eye that receives light signals (i.e. the retina), and reduce stimulus to the circadian system’s clock in the brain. For this population, light levels sufficient for circadian system stimulation can exceed 500 lx at the eye, which is much higher than the light levels typically found in senior care facilities or in individuals’ homes (e.g. <50 lx from a floor lamp providing ambient illumination).
Why Should I Brighten My Day? Bright light during the day and dim to dark light at night is essential for human health. The pattern of light and dark received at the eyes tunes our circadian system so we sleep better at night, feel refreshed and revitalized in the morning, and are better able to ward off physical and mental health problems like metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression. But, people living in nursing homes, who are often at elevated risk for experiencing these health problems, typically spend their days in constantly dim lighting conditions that can confound the benefits accorded by a healthy circadian system. Building on the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC) at Mount Sinai's general premise that an abundance of circadian-effective light in architectural spaces promotes good health, well-being and nighttime sleep (see the April/May issue of designing lighting), this article specifically focuses on an innovative application for bringing bright daytime light and better sleep to a senior living community.
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designing lighting
One solution proposed in a 2016 study1 by researchers now at the LHRC was a light table to deliver bright light to residents in a senior home community. In a follow-up to that study, LHRC researchers partnered with members of the Abe’s Garden Memory Care facility in Nashville, Tennessee, to upgrade the lighting in a resident dining area. With overhead lighting renovations being off the table, another solution was needed to fulfill the design requirements for this permanent installation. Since light tables are not commercially available products, the team had to get creative.
“Abe’s Garden aims to be a model facility to showcase circadianeffective design solutions for older adult community living.”