Good interior lighting facilitatesthe performance of dailyactivities (ADL)of the visually impaired elderly in theirhomes
York, June 23th
Frouck de Boer, Occupational Therapist, the Netherlands
Overview
Visual functioning of the elderly
Experience the need of light
Recommendations for lighting design
Case study elderly home ‘Bernardus’
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Introduction
Light has a positive influence on thequality of life of the elderly
Usually:
High focus on impairments, participationand activity, not on the environment
25% of the elderly residents are visuallyimpaired
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Visual Functioning
The aging eye needs more and more light
Elderly adapt to a changing environmentinstead of
the environment is being adapted to theelderly
Why?
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Common things elderly say
“I am not able to read the newspaperanymore”
“I bumped into the table”
“I can’t prepare dinner anymore, withoutmaking a mess of the kitchen”
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ICF model
Health Condition
(disorder/disease)
Body Function
and Structure
(Impairment)
Activities
(Limitation)
Participation
(Restriction)
Environmental
Factors
Personal
Factors
Contextual Factors
Quality of life
Visual impairment can lead to reducedparticipation in activities of daily living andmobility
Safety – safety in their environment
Participating in activities of daily living
Independency
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Visual functioning of the elderly
The diameter of the pupil, the lighttransmission of the lens of the eye and thequality of the retina decreases with age.
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How many lux do you think
there is in the next room?
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Elderly, what do they see?
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Light and vision. What do you see?
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Relationship between light and age
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At ages above 50,the requiredillumination level ishigher.
Increase can reacha factor of 10 in the70’s or 80’s!
10 20 30 40 50 60
Age in years
Reflection / Glare
reflection
light
Part of the light absorbs
Light from a light source reflectson an object.
Part of the light is absorbed.
This part is converted into heat.
The rest of the light is reflected.
If this reflected light reaches oureyes, we see the object.
Glare / Straylight
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Source; T. v.d. Berg (VU, Netherlands)
Example of Glare
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General recommendations
Use natural light whenever possible
Areas where elderly stay for a longertime need a combination of daylight andartificial light around 1000 lux
Use indirect light (uplight) for generallight and direct light for task light.
Avoid reflections
Avoid big contrast differences
dimmable lighting increases flexibility
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Recommendations for lightingdesign
General
Activity
Living room
200 – 300 lux
500 – 1000 lux
Kitchen
300 – 500 lux
1000 lux
Bed room
300 lux
1000 lux
Bath room / toilet
200 lux
Corridor
300 lux
Stairs
200 lux
Orientation night
5 lux
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Case study elderly home,Royal Dutch Visio
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Message!
The physical environment of the oldergeneration is underexposed!
There is a lack of standards for lightingspecifically, for the elderly
We need to come together to assistgovernment regulators developingstrategies
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Discussion
How are the light conditions in the livingenvironment of the elderly in yourcountry?
What do we need in the future?
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