Page 58 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - August 2017
P. 58
..
ALA CONFERENCE
able to accurately see the tint of their hair, result-
ing in a miscalculation in the color.
With proper way nding being so crucial for the
elderly living at home, the advent of LEDs allows
for task applications that couldn’t have been done
previously. “How about a dimmable light strip in
amber under the bed to make it easier for them
to nd their slippers?” McGowan suggested. “Or
you could outline a doorway with a light strip in
the same manner. Studies at the Lighting Research
Center have shown that when older people stand
up – especially a er being asleep – they aren’t
immediately sure which way is up. They are a
li le disoriented when rst ge ing out of bed.”
Outlining a doorway would provide a more instant
orientation point.
make House caLLs
your view of the bright source with your hand. When assessing the lighting needs of elderly cli-
If you instantly feel visually more comfortable, ents, evaluating their homes in person would be 6 PROBLEMATIC
you’ve reduced your discomfort glare. People in- helpful. “Go through the home to see how you can VISUAL
stinctively wear visors or baseball caps with large speci cally help those who are having di culty SITUATIONS
FOR SENIORS
brims outdoors to reduce the discomfort glare navigating [hallways, stairs, or a particular room
from the sun.”
con guration],” McGowan stated. “A lot of elderly
Seeing in dim light
people do not sleep well, which means they’re up
Leds’ roLe
and around at night.which is when falls happen.”
Reading small print
“Controlling icker has become more important In the bathroom, making sure that the mirror Distinguishingcolors
now that we have LED lighting,” McGowan stated. is lit properly so they don’t have to strain to get Visual search and
“LEDs are prone to icker because they react closer for grooming tasks would increase their
scans
instantly to power variations. For example, think comfort level.
of holiday light strings. They’re typically designed At the front door, install a xture that is shielded – Reading moving
information
with just simple AC drivers, so they’re notorious providing lighting for steps plus low glare helps
(i.e. TV closed
for icker, but all lighting operated on standard minimize hazards for homeowners and their guests.
AC power ickers to some degree. LED systems McGowan encouraged lighting profession- caption or crawl)
should be carefully checked, especially if a dimmer als to become familiar with the newly released Compensating
is involved, to be sure that icker is not a problem.”
IES-recommended lighting practice Lighting & the for eye damage or
McGowan also mentioned the importance of Visual Environment for Seniors and the Low-Vision disease
color. “There are two color metrics – CCT (corre- Population. “It’s an ANSI Standard,” he stated,
lated color temperature) and CRI (color rendering referring to the renowned American National
index) – but CRI doesn’t work as well with LED Standards Institute guidelines. “Any time you can
from an evaluation standpoint,” he said. “Your quote an ANSI standard, it helps reduce the op-
eyes are probably a be er guide for assessing the position from a builder or speci er [regarding a
comfort level than the actual metric.”
lighting suggestion you may have made]. It gives
Color is especially relevant to seniors because a lot of credibility because it’s a [recognized] stan-
the appearance of colors changes as eyes age. dard that backs up what you say.”
“Colors do not appear as deep,” MGowan noted. Catering to the aging consumer population
“Cataracts tend to give your visual world a yel- can be an e ective way to di erentiate a lighting
low tinge. Some may try to compensate. You have showroom while serving a very important need
probably noticed ‘blue hair syndrome,’” he com- that is only going to increase in demand as the
mented, referring to the phenomenon of older largest American demographic in history reaches
women who color their hair at home not being
retirement age and beyond.
56 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2017
www.enlightenmentmag.com
