PNNL

Abstract

The Problem: Sleep disturbance is common among nursing center residents and places them at risk for poor health outcomes. Lighting that changes in color and intensity over the course of the day and night may improve sleep and other outcomes, like dementia behaviors, but has has not been rigorously evaluated under real-world conditions. The Resolution: This single-facility study establishes that facility-level tuned lighting is feasible to implement and evaluate in a nursing center. Researchers randomly-assigned three corridors to one of two lighting conditions, then the other. Residents experienced half as many sleep disturbances while exposed to tuned vs. static lighting. There was no effect on behaviors. Tips for Success: Tuned lighting is a low-risk intervention that could be employed in new construction or when retrofitting fixtures into existing buildings. Key Words: Nursing home, long-term care, lighting, sleep, behaviors