Biodynamic Lighting to Support Wellbeing of People with Dementia (O)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Biodynamic Lighting to Support the Wellbeing of People Living with Dementia in Care Facilities: A Hybrid Sensing and Proxy Analysis of Wellbeing
IRAS ID
311547
Contact name
Kate Turley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Ulster
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
K12401, KTP Innovation Voucher which sponsors a partnership between Ulster University and a lighting company named Chroma Lighting in Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 23 days
Research summary
There are 850,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK and over 55 million people worldwide. Since there is no cure for dementia, the need to conduct research to identify long-term solutions for supporting their wellbeing is critical.
The use of light has been heavily explored for supporting the wellbeing and quality of life for people with dementia. This research has demonstrated support for mood, social interactions and communication, neuropsychiatric symptoms, rate of cognitive decline, and sleep quality after receiving light at certain times. Studies have also shown that there is a relationship between increased depression and agitation with reduced sunlight exposure; an effect known as `sundowning syndrome’ in dementia. This is because daylight aligns our circadian rhythms (our internal body clocks), which may influence processes such as sleep-wake cycles. As people with dementia experience less natural daylight due to lack of independence and increased eye sensitivity, their circadian rhythms are more desynchronised. Therefore their capacity to benefit from adequate artificial lighting replacements is even greater.
As daylight is the optimum stimulant for aligning the body’s circadian rhythm, research is beginning to shift towards the exploration of `daylight simulating’ lighting for supporting the circadian rhythm and wellbeing. This is known as biodynamic lighting, as it can change in both colour temperature and intensity.
This pilot study involves a biodynamic luminaire mounted on the ceiling and programmed to operate automatically between dawn and dusk. This will take place in one private care home over 16 weeks; Kirk House in East Belfast (BT5 7BX). The luminaire will also house an unobtrusive mm-wave sensor to infer movement patterns and energetic state. Therefore by collecting this sensor data during baseline and biodynamic lighting scenarios, insights into changes in energetic state and wellbeing may be inferred.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
22/NI/0091
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion