Objectives
The objective of this study was to measure the level of lighting in nursing homes
in a variety of areas to determine its adequacy in meeting the visual needs of elderly
residents.
Design
Observational study
Participants
Eight nursing homes cooperating in an intervention study designed to prevent accidental
falls.
Measurements
The amount of light was measured in eight nursing homes with a lux meter DVM 1300
Velleman. The intensity of light was measured at four moments: a sunny day, a cloudy
day, while dusk was falling, and while it was dark. At each moment, the amount of
light was measured in 16 different places frequently used by residents. The European
Standard for light and lighting of indoor work places (EN 12464-1:2002) was used for
reference. Because aged persons require more light than persons twenty years of age,
the European Standard was adapted by increasing it 55%. Results were compared to both
the European Standard (ES) and the Adapted Standard (AS).
Results
On a sunny day, the amount of light met the ES in 5 of the 8 nursing homes and met
the AS in 1 of the 8 nursing homes in at least 8 of 16 places. On a cloudy day, the
amount of light met the ES in 2 of the 8 nursing homes in at least 8 of 16 places,
and no nursing home met the AS in at least 8 of 16 places. According to the AS, the
amount of light was insufficient at both other moments in all institutions.
Conclusion
The amount of light in the nursing homes was seldom sufficient to meet the visual
needs of older people. This lack of illumination may induce a higher risk of accidental
falls for dementia patients as well as for other residents.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 10, 2007
Footnotes
This project was funded by the RIZIV–INAMI (Belgian Social Security Institute) within the Qualidem II project (UB/1240).
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 American Medical Directors Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
