Retirement Home Lighting

When planning the lighting for any location, there are a lot of considerations. A retirement home is certainly a unique location in terms of lighting needs. With the need to walk the fine line between comfort of older guests and the brightness needed for proper visibility, finding the right lighting outcomes can be a balancing act. Here are a few tips on how to achieve the right outcome in retirement home lighting for your location.

1. Choose the right lumen output

   One of the most important aspects of retirement home lighting is choosing the right lumens for the space. The lumens are essentially how bright the fixture is, and this is indicated on the box of the lamps. It's important to find the balance between having enough light and being comfortable on the eyes. Older individuals of the retirement home may have eyes that are more sensitive to bright lights. The overly bright lights may even cause headaches for some people. On the flip side, older eyes need more light to see when reading or doing other tasks so you don't want to go too dim in terms of brightness. When choosing the lumens, it's important to keep in mind the size of the space and follow the general guideline of using around 250 lumens for every 5,000 square feet.

2. Install dimmers and timers

   One of the easiest ways to ensure proper lumen outputs in retirement home lighting is to install dimmers. This will allow for the lighting in certain spaces to be adjusted to meet the needs of residents yet also provide ample illumination for staff doing important tasks. Timers also ensure lights are turned off in certain areas when the area is not in use at the moment. This will save on utility costs. You can even install occupancy sensors which will turn lights on when a resident or staff member enters the area.

3. Create more individualized lighting

   In order to give residents and staff the best outcomes, you should create lighting that is more individualized. Aside from the controls of timers and dimmers mentioned above, you should also give people more control over the lighting by using several different fixture types of light a space. When trying to achieve the recommended lumen output for a space, you can achieve that lighting more effectivity by using several different light sources to reach the lumen goal. The use of overhead troffers coupled with accent lighting can lights or wall sconces, as well as individual lights residents can control such as reading lamps, all work together to create a layered lighting plan that will work well for the location.