Purpose In the Netherlands, the prevalence
of visual impairments is the highest among the subgroup of nursing home residents. Over 40
percent are estimated to have visual impairments1. Older adults experience visual problems due
to biological aging or eye disease2. These problems can affect several visual functions as well as
daily functions in general3,4. Providing appropriate lighting of sufficient intensity and color temperature
(CT), and making use of capabilities of the visual environment in the nursing home4 is
one of the tasks for professional carers.Light conditions were measured in order to find out to
what extent older adults live with the proper lighting conditions. With these data, we wanted to
enhance the awareness among care professionals of how light conditions affect the daily lives of
the nursing home residents. Moreover, care professionals and technical staff could make the
right improvements to the nursing home environment based on the outcomes. Method We assessed
light conditions (Konica Minolta chromameter CL-200) in seven nursing homes in the
Netherlands. Light conditions were measured in places where residents spend most of their time
during the day. In total, 59 living rooms and corridors were assessed in this study. Horizontal
and vertical illuminances as well as CT were measured and compared to the values given in a guideline by the Dutch Society for Illumination5. The study was performed between October
2009 and the end of March 2010 at daytime between 10:00 and 15:00 hours. By measuring in
autumn, winter and early spring, the contribution of daylight to the indoor illuminance levels
was kept at a minimum. Results & Discussion In general lighting conditions encountered in the
nursing homes were poor. Four-fifths of the measured illuminances in the common rooms were
below the 1,000 lx threshold. Illuminances in the corridors fell below the 200 lx threshold in at
least three quarters of the measurements. This means that nursing home residents may have difficulty
carrying out tasks and could fall during transfers. The CT of light to which nursing home
residents were exposed, fell below the reference value for daylight of 5,000 K with median
scores of 3,400 to 4,500 K. High CT of light, in combination with higher illuminances, may positively
affect the biological clock, resulting in better sleep quantity and quality.Nursing home staff
should be aware of these data in order to arrange better light conditions. Technical staff should
be aware that lighting guidelines are not specifically developed for older adults. Special attention
should be paid to the fact that older adults need more light than younger persons to perform Activities
of Daily Living (ADL).