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Keeping safe and maintaining independence: older people and sight loss

Light for Sight

Peter Hodgson Thomas Pocklington Trust

Summary

l Prevalence of sight loss l  Importance of lighting l  Lighting equipment l  Lighting adaptations l Supporting materials and services

Prevalence of sight loss

l Best estimates - registerable –  13% of those aged 75+ have serious sight loss –  33% of those aged 90+ have serious sight loss

l Sight loss is a normal part of ageing –  13 million people in UK over 60

l Specific eye conditions can make this worse –  incidence increases with age

Prevalence of sight loss

l Sight loss affects everyday lives of 2 million people in UK

l Secondary to main reason for referral l Most people with sight loss have some

residual vision l  Lighting can help people to make the

most of their vision

Pocklington research

l Findings from home visits –  Low levels of lighting –  Glare from light fittings –  Slow adaptation to different levels –  Poor control –  Lack of available information / support

Pocklington research

l Assessments and adaptations to general lighting and task lighting in over 100 homes

l  Light for Sight Good Practice Framework

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Light for Sight

l  8 Key Elements l Endorsed by 12 organisations

including: –  Department of Health –  RIBA & RICS –  VISION 2020 UK –  College of Occupational Therapists

Good general and task lighting

Daylight

l Control with blinds l Keep curtains clear of window l Reduce external obstructions l Keep windows clean l  Light coloured sills and frames reflect

light into room

Improve energy efficiency

l Replace incandescent tungsten filament –  Tungsten halogen

Compact fluorescent (CFL)

Plug-in Globe Pear Candle Spiral Double turn Triple turn

Light Emitting Diodes (LED)

l  LED lamps – Technology developing rapidly – High initial outlay, but cheap to run

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General lighting

l Ceiling mounted l Diffusing shades

–  Even lighting –  Avoid glare –  Hide direct view of lamp

General lighting

l Uplighters Light reflected from ceiling

Task lighting

l Adjustable task lights l Portable task lights l Ceiling or wall mounted

spotlights l Under cupboard lights

Lighting adaptations

l  Improve general lighting levels –  dimmable high frequency fluorescent in kitchen –  brighter lamps (CFL) in diffusing shades –  additional lights

l Add task lighting –  fluorescent lighting under kitchen cupboards –  mirror/shaver lights in bathrooms –  lighting in wardrobes and walk-in cupboards

Hallway and stairs

l General lighting –  Good level –  No glare –  Reveal steps

l Task lighting –  Telephone

l Good contrasts –  Surfaces

Hallway

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Kitchens Bathroom

Bathrooms Bedroom

Cupboards and wardrobes Multiple light sources

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Communal areas Lighting - Top tips

l Tasks and movement around the home l Amount of light l Control – switching and dimming l Diffuse, even lighting, no dark shadows l Multiple light points l No glare – no direct view of lamp

Lighting adaptations - Top tips

l Avoid disruption to decoration l Use existing fixed wiring points l  Lighting track for additional lights l Use existing electrical sockets l Use micro-trunking for wiring if needed l Convert existing twin sockets to triples

Seven characteristics of good lighting

Lighting should always be: ü  Appropriate to each person ü  Sufficient for activity and orientation ü  Even, across different areas ü  Adjustable for flexibility ü  Energy efficient and sustainable ü  Simple to install ü  Adaptable for the future.

Lighting good practice guide

l  Lighting in new and existing homes l  Guidance on specification l  Case studies l  Checklists

Adaptations good practice guide

l  Practical guidance l  Adaptations l  Involving people l  Specific spaces l  Indoors and outside l  Checklists

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Lighting booklet

l  Advice on lighting l  Non-technical

information l  Lamps and light fittings l  General lighting l  Task lighting l  Further sources of

help

Lighting training

l  One day workshop l  Lamps & fittings l  Demonstrations l  Practical exercises l  Case studies l  Design tools

Specifying lighting adaptations

l Determine needs –  Functional vision assessment

l Assess existing lighting provision –  Client’s “adaptations”

l Determine possible adaptations l Produce specification for electrician

Some lighting options  

Living Room Wall lights for more even lighting, freestanding uplighters, additional ceiling lights in larger rooms

General Individual switches, dimmable where possible, good quality portable and adjustable task lights, judicious use of colour in decoration

Kitchen Under-unit lights to illuminate worktops, cooker and sink, better shades to reduce glare and shadow

Bathroom Mirror lights over hand basins, upgrade of shaver lights low-energy units

Bedroom Wall uplights above bedhead, internal lights in walk-in cupboards, better match between number of fittings and room size

Stairs Use of better fitting light shades to reduce glare, spot lights that highlight stair edges, high illuminance on landings

SOME LIGHTING OPTIONS

Lighting Specification Tools number of lamps needed per room

200lux Tungsten Halogen GU10 MR16 CFLU 2D 2D MCFU MCFU

Target 100W 300W 50W 50W 30W 28W 38W 36W 58W

Length Width lumens Indirect

2 1 1270 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 0

2 2 2540 2 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 1

2 3 3810 3 1 6 3 2 2 1 1 1

2 4

2 5

3 1

3 3

3 4

3 5

3 6

4 1

Contact details

www.pocklington-trust.org.uk