Elderly & healthcare

Light has an impact on how people feel and behave. Optimal light is of the utmost importance to control the sleep/wake cycle. The right amount of light helps to improve the quality of life for residents. A high lighting level provides the residents and carers with better visibility. And last but not least, the MediluX Light Scenarios provide optimal light during every moment of the day and night, by varying the colour spectrum, light intensity, and the amount of blue light, for health, alertness and a good night’s sleep.

Receiving sufficient light to stimulate the biological clock really helps elderly people to better function, because it improves their alertness and sleep quality.

Healthcare

A hospital or nursing home is by definition a 24/7 business. Staff must be able to deliver a high quality of care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also during the nightly hours when a person normally enjoys his sleep.

 

Nursing staff

Working in continuous service, as is required in hospitals and nursing homes, is physically stressful for doctors and nurses. The effect on their physical and mental well-being should not be underestimated. Statistically, people who have worked in shifts a lot, even live shorter than average. Shift workers often experience symptoms similar to those of a jet lag. Effects caused by the lack of sleep or the disruption of the sleep/wake rhythm include loss of concentration, headaches, even migraines, and more. Drowsiness can decrease alertness, which increases the risk of making mistakes, for example, when dosing or administering medications. Well customized, dynamic lighting can adjust the day/night rhythm of shift workers to the desired situation, which reduces the risk of making mistakes.

Seniors are living in too dark environments

Elderly people experience a reduction of the eyesight due to aging and wear. The eye lens blurs, the maximum pupil diameter and accommodation capacity decrease, and there is less light on the retina. And because elderly people stay inside more often, the biological clock is much less stimulated by light, which affects the sleep/wake rhythm: they experience sleeping problems and reduced alertness. Regardless of whether seniors are living at home or in residential and care complexes, their contact with daylight runs back from several hours per day to one hour or just a few minutes.

 

In addition, to protect the environment or to save money, their houses are often poorly illuminated, which evokes the earlier mentioned negative effects. Tripping and fall incidents, even in their own familiar environment, are also common when there is poor lighting or poor visibility, with major consequences such as breaking an arm or hip.

Receiving sufficient light to stimulate the biological clock really helps elderly people to better function, because it improves their alertness and sleep quality.

Positive effects of good lighting

In the Netherlands, there are over 250,000 people that suffer from dementia, of which about 90% show behavioural disorders. Problems such as agitation, depression, nocturnal restlessness and wandering are a heavy burden for both the patients, their family and caregivers. In patients with dementia, the biological clock can be disrupted. A research at the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research (NIH) has shown that disturbances occur in a portion of the brain: the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is involved in controlling the autonomic nervous system and plays a crucial role in organising behavior, all aspects of emotions, and in regulating the blood pressure, heart rate, and the sleep/wake rhythm.

Scientifically proven

The hypothalamus receives signals from, amongst others, the optic nerve. Especially the rhythm in the biological clock appeared to be affected by a lack of natural stimuli: light during the day and darkness and the production of melatonin at night.
A study in demented seniors, which was already conducted in 1997 by Dr. Eus van Someren of the NIH, has shown that nocturnal restlessness is significantly reduced and a more stable sleep/wake rhythm arises when increasing the level of light in living rooms from an average of 800 Lux to 2200-2400 Lux (measured horizontally).
It was then shown that proper lighting makes an important contribution to the welfare of these people.​

What can MediluX do for me

MediluX 24/7 light solutions make the difference.

We provide light solutions that contribute to a better and safer work environment for your personnel, at every time of the day and during the night.

 

MediluX 24/7 light solutions focus on light during the day, the amount of blue light during the night, ergonomics, non-visual (biological) and comfort requirements of people working in a mission critical environment. Not only every shift schedule needs its own light scenario, but also every worker does; depending on age, gender, or being an early or late riser type.

 

MediluX 24/7 light solutions increase performance, alertness, health, well-being and safety of your employees. This results in an improvement of employability and a reduction of costs.

 

Why MediluX

  • Based on scientific research and innovation
  • More than 30 years of experience in 24/7 lighting
  • Experienced in conversions during full operation
  • Safety first

Your benefits

  • Improvement of well-being, health and safety of clients and employees
  • Less sleep medication needed
  • State of the art light solutions
  • Energy efficient

Benefit now from our light solutions

Our colleagues are ready to help you quickly!