Light Exposure Could Help Alzheimer’s Patients Individuals with
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) often sleep
during the day and are awake at night. The situation can turn
life-threatening if they leave their homes and wander around
outside. This irregular sleep schedule and night wandering, and
the consequent burden on their caretakers, is a primary reason
individuals with ADRD are placed in more-controlled environments
such as nursing homes. A new study from the Lighting Research
Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute lays the
foundation for the importance of tailored light exposures as a
viable treatment option for the reduction of sleep disturbances
in older adults and those with ADRD. Funded by a R01 grant from
the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the study is the first to
collect circadian light exposures in individuals with ADRD.
Results of the quantitative study show that individuals with
ADRD experienced lower light levels, exhibited lower activity
levels, and had greater d