DESIGNING LIGHTING

HALLWAYS & PASSAGEWAYS

When you think about the lighting in the corridors, we have to make sure that it must provide orientation for patients and employees of the facility.

Many seniors suffer from senile dementia, and if they have difficulty in orientation, they can easily have panic attacks. The lighting de-signer must perform accurate calculations to obtain a balanced ratio between horizontal and vertical illuminance. This will ensure that there is less glare. Even the shaded areas should be reduced to a minimum.  It would be ideal to have none at all. In addition, an excellent proportion between the two illuminances will favour a clearer view of people’s faces, preventing the onset of fear and or anxiety

In senior’s residences, the hallway connects rooms and the common areas. Precisely for this reason, it is necessary to provide a signage light. It is also essential to adjust the light levels well. The illumination must be uniform.

Typically, in the common rooms, there will be a greater illuminance than the one in the hallway. In addition, the colour temperature can change during the different hours of the day

Therefore, there must be a balanced passage between the corridor and the halls or bedrooms.

In arranging the light points in the corridor, it is necessary to provide extra lighting in extremely dangerous points. Above all, any lighting design must not miss an emergency light.

The recommended LUX level in the corridor and passage areas during the day must be about 55-60% compared to that of the community rooms, for a value that is around 200 LUX. During the night, the LUX level can drop to 50.

DESIGNING LIGHTING

COMMON ROOMS

Common rooms are the main areas of a retirement home. In these spaces, the elderly guests of the facility meet and interact, spend time together chatting or doing recreational activities.

For these reasons, the atmosphere of these rooms must be welcoming and warm. We know that it is possible to stimulate people and create a very familiar atmosphere by choosing the right product. The light should encourage and make them active during the day.

Light can motivate seniors and get them to be more active through-out the day. Properly adjusted light helps seniors recognize the hours that pass. In fact, during the day you can go from 2700k up to6000k. We need to think about illuminating the surfaces well with a very intense light and at the same time creating shadows to give a sense of depth. The use of dimmable LED lamps will save energy for the structure. In the choice of products, we will certainly consider using lamps with a high colour rendering. This feature will help to visualize each object very clearly. In addition, they will emit a more delicate beam of light on the eyes. The ability to change the colour temperature will help create different scenarios. The indirect light given by wall lamps together with excellent ceiling lamps will give a sense of safety to the rooms and not a clinical-like effect. Surely the more positive the effect of light on the individual, the better this unity and recovery will be.

Another factor that the lighting designer has to consider is that many patients do not have the opportunity to spend time outdoors. So, the little exposure to sunlight must be compensated for by artificial light. In addition, the common rooms are also the meeting point for the elderly and their families who go to visit them.

Recommended LUX levels vary throughout the day. We have:

• In the morning from 300 to 500 Lux, with colour temperature from 4,500 to 6,500K
• During the day: up to 1,500 Lux, with a colour temperature from 4,500 to 6,500 K
• In the evening: from 300 to 500 Lux, with colour temperature from 2,700 to 3,500 K

DESIGNING LIGHTING

PRIVATE ROOMS

Private rooms are the refuge for any elderly retirement home guest. They act as their dwelling. These rooms should create an atmosphere that is as private as possible. Lighting also plays a central role in the small space of any room. For the simple reason that it is often habitual to customize each room according to the tastes and needs of the person who lives in it, the light has to be of the right amount, functional and specific. The patients bring personal items such as photos, paintings, books, and sometimes even furniture

The tone of the light must surely be warm. It must not exceed 3000k.Certainly, the lighting of the rooms takes into account the state of health of the person who lives there. A person with poor mobility will definitely need an adjustable lamp near the bed. In the rooms of elderly people suffering from senile dementia, it is absolutely necessary to avoid floor lamps and use only ceiling lamps that are difficult to reach by hand. The on and off commands should be simple and easily accessible

The design of the light has to ensure safety during the night. For example, if the guest wants to go to the bathroom. In the bathroom, the light must stand out on the face and reduce the presence of shadows.

However, the designer must not neglect another detail. It should make room lighting ideal for both patients and healthcare personnel. Providing a more intense light source for medical examinations is essential.

The recommended LUX values in the rooms and private bathrooms are

• In the rooms, a minimum level of 300 Lux with the addition of area ding light with 1,000 Lux.
• Direct light on the bed with at least 1000Lux for medical examinations
• In the bathroom: 300 Lux.

DESIGNING LIGHTING

RECEPTION

The reception is the visiting card of retirement homes. It offers the patient’s first contact with his future home and, the light must be soft and welcoming. It needs to be brightly lit and friendly and provide orientation to patients. Accent lighting can add emphasis to the area.

At the same time, it must provide greater illuminance above the desk where the staff spends many hours at the computer. The computer screen often creates glare. It is therefore essential to guarantee a UGR value of at most 19 to moderate it. UGR stands for Unified Glare Rating and, lighting designers use it to measure glare. For an optimal calculation of the UGR, it is necessary to evaluate the light output of the products, their positioning, and the distance between them and the staff. Hanging lamps installed above the desk is the ideal solution

The recommended LUX value is 300.

DESIGNING LIGHTING

WORK & ADMINISTRATIVE DEPTS

In these areas, it is preferable to have an average illuminance of 500 Lux with the possibility of varying during night shifts

CONCLUSION

Overall, we can say that lighting is an essential factor for the well-being of patients and nursing staff. The light must give tranquility and relaxation to the guests of the retirement homes. Thanks to the new LED technology products, it is possible to create various scenarios throughout the day. The main goal of the lighting designer when working on a project for assisted living facilities is to create lighting systems that can change the intensity of colour and power following the rhythm of the circadian cycle. Equally important is to keep in mind that the elderly need more light and that their eyes are more sensitive to glare. Another essential factor, when analyzing the lighting, is to consider the lack of natural light in many areas of the facility

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