This April, Dr Shelley James is hosting an online event examining the practical applications and cost-effective benefits of implementing circadian lighting in the healthcare sector. Here, she tells us what viewers can expect from the programme.

The residential healthcare sector is under immense pressure. With an ageing population, rising demand for services, and increasingly complex care needs, care homes and healthcare facilities must find ways to improve patient outcomes while working within tight operational budgets.

Many of these buildings are decades old, with outdated lighting systems that were never designed with health and wellbeing in mind. Upgrading to circadian-informed lighting inevitably demands time and attention from a hard-pressed senior management team, an investment that can seem like a distraction in the face of urgent operational demands. For lighting professionals, while ‘human-centric lighting’ has featured in marketing pitches for a decade and most are convinced of the value, few can claim to have successfully delivered a project in the real world, usually citing ‘value engineering’ as the barrier to adoption.

Yet the evidence is clear – lighting that actively supports a healthy body clock can speed recovery from stroke, improve sleep and reduce agitation, and cut down nighttime wandering and falls, all contributing to a healthy balance sheet – and a safer, calmer working environment for staff, especially those working night shifts. This in turn improves retention and reduces sick leave. Combining the physiological effects of circadian-aware lighting with ‘smart’ technologies that track movement, analyse behaviour, and offer clinical insights delivers additional benefits to the bottom line.

But for many healthcare providers, scientific research on circadian lighting can feel distant from the day-to-day realities of running a care home. For lighting professionals, healthcare is often seen as a frustrating sector focused on cost not value.

The online event Innovators in Healthcare, held on 17  April, hosted by Dr Shelley James with John Bullock will bring together scientists and frontline care providers to demonstrate that circadian-aware lighting is not a luxury. It is a practical, cost-effective solution to the pressures faced by the residential healthcare sector, and, critically, when driven by a desire to deliver outstanding care can yield measurable returns on that investment.

Here are some of the topics we’ll cover:

The Impact of Circadian Lighting on Stroke Recovery and Residential Care

Dr. Anders West, a leading neurologist, will present groundbreaking findings on the relationship between stroke, the body’s internal clock, and lighting. Stroke is a leading cause of disability, with survivors facing a heightened risk of cognitive decline. Dr. West’s research is the first randomised clinical trial to demonstrate that circadian lighting can effectively combat depression following a stroke. His work also highlights improvements in sleep, fatigue, and even physiological markers such as bone plasma and temperature regulation.

While his research has focused on stroke recovery, its implications for residential care are profound. Many stroke survivors require long-term support in care homes, where disrupted sleep and fatigue can severely impact their quality of life. Working with ChromaViso, Dr. West has applied his findings in residential settings, showing that targeted lighting interventions can reduce agitation-related behaviours by 71.2%, with some symptoms disappearing entirely.

Lighting, Shift Work, and Staff Retention in Healthcare Settings

Disrupted sleep cycles don’t just affect residents – they are a major issue for the staff who care for them. Many healthcare professionals work night shifts that disrupt their circadian rhythms, leading to chronic fatigue, errors, accidents, and long-term health risks such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Poor sleep is also a key factor in staff burnout, contributing to the sector’s ongoing crisis of high turnover rates and staff shortages.

Professor Shadab Rahman is at the forefront of research into how lighting can mitigate these risks. He will share several new studies, including results that suggest the potential for circadian lighting to target the specific issues faced by female shift workers through their hormone cycle.

Revolutionising Dementia Care Through Smart Lighting

Lucy Jobbins, a PhD researcher at Oxford’s Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, is investigating how light exposure impacts sleep and cognitive health in dementia patients. She will share her research with WCS Care, led by Ed Russell, that includes work to characterise lighting conditions in different rooms and parts of the care home to identify the zones where these investments will deliver the greatest benefits.

Ed Russell, awarded an OBE for his contributions to elder care, will complement Lucy’s presentation to share the real-world challenges of retrofitting a circadian lighting system. WCS Care was an early adopter, installing their first system over eight years ago in a new build. His team saw such dramatic improvements that they decided to invest in a retrofit installation in a 1970s building. However, the original supplier had gone out of business, leading to an ongoing collaboration with John Bullock and Commercial Lighting.

The Future of Smart Lighting in Care Homes

David Poxton is the third generation of his family involved with Ashmere Care Homes. He is passionate about striving for excellence and looking to the future – and is proof that this investment makes sound business sense: Ashmere enjoys record-breaking occupancy rates at premium prices, five-star reviews and wins prizes as an outstanding employer. David has been working with local manufacturer Circadacare to design and install a circadian lighting system in a new building, his only regret being that he didn’t extend the investment to the training areas.

To quote David: “It’s like electric windows in a car. Manual windows work, but once you’ve had the best, you never want to go back.”

AI-Driven Lighting: Transforming Elder Care

At Hartland House in the Lake District, Leanne Scrogham was initially skeptical when offered the chance to trial AI-powered smart lighting. However, the results were remarkable – falls among residents dropped by 86%, confusion at night decreased, and staff response times improved dramatically.

The Nobi Smart Lighting system automatically detects movement and adjusts illumination to prevent falls, alerting staff within minutes that a resident is awake. An integrated intercom system offers the care team the option to speak to the resident, offering reassurance in real-time. Beyond sleep and safety, the system has enabled staff to analyse the cause of falls, identifying underlying medical issues that may otherwise have gone undetected.

Join the Conversation

Please join us on 17 April for this unique opportunity to learn from these experts and add your voice to the conversation.

With thanks to our sponsors: Circadacare, ChromaViso, Commercial Lighting, and Nobi. Also, special thanks to our industry partners: [d]arc media, Designing Lighting, the LIA, the SLL and The Light Review.

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