Why light is so important for seniors’ health

June 5, 2017

Marie Coolidge’s apartment at the Eskaton Monroe Lodge was bathed in soft light on a recent afternoon, her newly installed light bulbs glowing beneath white fabric lamp shades around the living room where she spends most of her time.

The high-tech bulb system, installed last fall at the Land Park senior living community, is designed to provide extra light to residents whose eyesight may be fading as they age. The bulbs change color throughout the day to provide different types of light matching the body’s circadian rhythms, which determine when people should wake, work and rest. The new installation has improved seniors’ moods, helped them sleep and stopped many of them from falling when they wake in the night, according to a study on the project released this spring.