Recent research into lighting systems at eldercare facilities has focused on how different kinds of lighting could affect residents, either by aiding sleep cycles or zapping COVID in the air.
But can different lighting systems have a positive effect on caregiver staff?
Staff experience the effects of lighting in common spaces or, for personalized lighting in residents’ rooms, they may be responsible for operating the systems.
How new lighting technology may affect staff is the focus of an upcoming study on circadian lighting in a nursing home in Denmark.
Caregivers, including those working night shifts, will be analyzed not just for how the lighting improves their quality of life, but also for how quickly they accept the technology, and how easy it is to learn how to operate, according to a report in LED Magazine.
Night shift nurses are particularly susceptible to higher stress levels, insomnia, and depression, studies have found.
The 30-month study program, named PerCiLight, also will look at residents with dementia and how their health is affected by the system.
Circadian lighting systems are designed to expose those primarily indoors to something more akin to natural sunlight, with levels changing according to the time of day.
The particular system in the study is Chromaviso’s Chroma Zenit system, which currently is used in more than 100 sites, including nursing homes, around Scandinavia. Recent research has shown that hospital staff reported improved job satisfaction from their lighting, the company claims.
Several facilities in the United States have installed circadian lighting systems over the past few years. Such systems are meant to help restore sleep cycles and improve emotional well-being.
