There is no doubt that dementia is a pressing worldwide problem, and according to the World Health Organisation it is currently the seventh leading cause of death, affecting 57 million people globally. Lighting has a critical impact on those living with dementia and specific lighting changes can improve their safety, wellbeing and quality of life.
Dementia circles around the loss of cognitive function and a decline in sensory abilities, and our knowledge of how these processes work on a physical level allow us to discover the best tools for lighting techniques that can help alleviate some of the issues created by the disease.
These lighting techniques, need to be approached slightly differently across the spectrum of where they are used, whether it be a care home setting, hospital or in a residential home. In a controlled setting like a care home, lighting design specific to dementia care can be incorporated within the entire site, whereas hospitals will only be able to dedicate a small percentage to dementia considerations and residential homes will be required to alter and adapt the existing structure of the home as far as practicable and within budgetary allowances.
Confounding the advice being holistic for all dementia patients, is also the fact that individual patients have their own variability, from age to cultural background, ethnicity and specific level of debilitation. Not only that, but as dementia is an umbrella term for many specific medical conditions, different variants require different approaches, for example, patients with Alzheimer’s may benefit from lighting with warmer tones to reduce agitation, while those with vascular dementia may need an application that lends itself to higher contrast lighting for improved visual clarity and cognitive function.
Poor lighting for dementia patients can lead to many problematic scenarios, from general issues surrounding safety and well-being through to more specific areas like loss of stable sleeping patterns and disorientation. Dementia has a major effect on visual perception, creating difficulties with reduced contrast sensitivity, motion detection or recognition, with these changes often manifesting in an increase in patient’s expressions of confusion and agitation.
Visual perception is an area that lighting, especially when given clear intent can be used to improve many of the underlying conditions that lead to day-to-day difficulties. The following breakdown will address some key considerations that can be shared with stakeholders to address and better the lives of dementia sufferers.