What would you guess is the main cause of death among the elderly? 

It’s not old age and it’s not health complications. If you already knew it was falling, we’re impressed. 

According to a recent New York Times article, falling is the number one cause of death among the elderly population. If you find this shocking, you’re not alone. But when we break down all the risks and causes of falling cases, it starts to make sense. 

There are two main causes of falls in the elderly that relate to lighting: 

The first one is lightbulbs. They go out, it’s inevitable. However, when a light bulb goes out, if no one’s there to fix it, people become used to less light and often never get around to it. The more time spent in dimly lit spaces, the more likely a person is to trip over something unexpected.

The second cause of falling due to insufficient lighting is within stairways. People of all ages fall when walking up or down stairs, but this can be detrimental for the older community. Stairways are places that are often exceptionally difficult to change lightbulbs, and also present the obvious risk of falling when dark. 

Luckily, there are many precautions that the elderly and their family/friends can take to reduce the risk of falls when it comes to lighting. Many of them are so simple and yet people don’t think to implement them until they see the negative effects of not having taken steps sooner. 

Take a look at our list of tips to help prevent you or your loved one from falling:

Change the Bulbs

Lighting is often the forgotten solution to elderly falls. But it’s simple, the more they can see, the less likely it is for them to fall or trip. But you don’t want to just install any kind of light bulb, you want to make sure you’re getting the best and longest lasting bulb to avoid them going dim too quickly.

Long-life LED bulbs and fixtures help to eliminate the need to climb up on ladders or reach up to higher places. Eliminating the need to change light bulbs more frequently helps solve the problem of losing balance and falling while changing them out. 

Longer lasting light bulbs have plenty of benefits to offer besides just having a more prolonged life. Because they are more efficient light bulbs, they can save the user money on their energy bills. Long-life LED bulbs don’t heat up as much as other bulbs and therefore don’t heat up the house, which means the AC doesn’t have to work harder to keep the house cool. 

Step It Up With Step Lights

Step lights are a great to install into a home to prevent falls for the elderly. Stairs are a real risk to elderly people who struggle with balance and seeing well, so providing a little extra light could be a real life saver. 

Many step lights have built in photo-cells that turn on and off automatically so the user doesn’t have to remember themselves! This is extremely helpful especially at night time when it’s more difficult to see. 

It’s important that a stairwell is the brightest place in an elderly person’s home so that there is never any difficulty distinguishing steps.

Landscape Lighting

Going up driveways, walking up the porch steps, getting in and out of the car, all of these are obstacles for elderly people and if they’re trying to do this when it’s dark outside, that’s just an equation for disaster and risky falls. 

You can help make grandma and grandpa’s yard look stunning while decreasing the likelihood of falling at the same time by installing landscape lighting. Landscape lighting not only looks great, it’s also a huge safety upgrade. 

And the best part about landscape lighting? 

Quality lighting for landscape is low-voltage meaning it doesn’t require as much effort or extra complicated electrical runs in order for it to work.

Increase the Lumens

Most homes are simply not sufficiently lit for the elderly. An easy fix to this problem would be to increase the lumens in the home. What do we mean by that? 

A lumen is the total amount of visible light that is emitted from the bulb. So if it’s increased that means the lighting is brighter, therefore making it easier to see. On average, the lumens should be doubled in most rooms and dimmers should be installed so that the level can be made comfortable in any room. 

Not only will changing the lumens in a home help a person see better and help prevent falling, it can also help with depression and sleeping better which happen to be massive problems in the elderly community. Having more light has been shown to boost a person’s mood and being able to dim the lights in the evening can help a person fall asleep easier.

Upgrade to Remote Control

We live in an incredible age of new technology that can be used to really benefit the elderly. New devices like remotes, motion sensors and smart switches can make it easier for the elderly to control their lighting without having to stumble around in the dark. 

Having this kind of technology is especially useful to install in areas like the bedroom and bathroom. As we age, our bodies struggle to stay asleep during the night due to restlessness, needing to use the bathroom and other reasons. The chances of tripping and falling are much more likely if a person has to shuffle around in the dark to find a light switch. 

Having a remote control light switch near the bed is a great way to ensure the safety of the elderly. A small remote can be easily placed on their nightstand where they’ll be able to easily reach it and have access to the lighting in their room. For the bathroom, motion sensors are a good way to go so the lights turn on and off automatically.

Simple upgrades like these can help make the lives of the elderly so much easier and safer.

Here’s where We come in.

At Super Lite, we know that lighting is far more than a light switch or decoration. It not only brings brightness and healthier living into your home but acts as a safety mechanism for those that need it most. Our lighting experts are here to help maximize the amount of light in your home to help you see better and enjoy life more fully. We are able to walk anyone through the best types of lighting for elderly homes and living situations. We’ll show you tips and tricks to add light to spaces you never thought of, and bulbs that last what feels like a lifetime.

Preventing falls among the elderly can be easily avoided, and lighting is one of the first steps to ensure their safety and wellbeing. 

Come visit us at Super Lite today and let us help you find the perfect lighting for your home.

Do you or a loved one feel especially gloomy in winter? Perhaps
you’ve been excessively tired, had little energy, or found yourself overeating
consistently. If so, you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD),
a mood disorder that causes depression-like symptoms during winter months.
Common SAD
risk factors include:

• Living far from the equator
• Having clinical depression
• Family history of depression or mood disorders
• Younger age
• Being female (They’re 4 times more likely to experience
  SAD than males.)

There are plenty of reasons that SAD has become increasingly
common. Electronic light is convenient, but can lead to altered circadian
rhythms (our internal body clock), which controls sleep-wake behavior and
hormone secretion. Increased globalization, technology dependence, and
shift-work can further disrupt the natural 24-hour cycle that best facilitates
emotional wellness.

Even those with strong mental health can experience SAD, but here are some suggestions that can help. 

1. Boost Your Vitamin D

SAD often correlates with vitamin D deficiency, and addressing this need can help alleviate depressive symptoms. There are a variety of ways to supplement your vitamin D, most of which center on your diet. Some options include fatty fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, or a medical supplement. Additionally, simply spending time outside triggers your body to produce more vitamin D.

2. Get Some Exercise

Conveniently, exercise is a great reason to get outside for
that extra vitamin D. In addition, SAD correlates with lower levels of
serotonin, and exercise helps increase it. Any kind of exercise can help,
whether it’s home-based, outdoor, or at the gym. There are plenty of ways
to start exercising, so find a way that works for you and don’t give up!

3. Engage Your Brain

Keeping an active mind is another way to avoid negativity during
the winter months. Doing sudoku, solving crossword puzzles, or reading good
books can keep depressive thoughts at bay. In addition, gratitude exercises
such as journaling can rewire your brain to think more positively.

Mindfulness is another mental tactic that discourages SAD.
Though its definitions vary, the essence of mindfulness is focusing all
thoughts on the present with an open mind and accepting heart. Recognizing
thoughts, feelings, and reactions to your environment can shed light on
emotional darkness. 

4. Use Warm Lighting

Lighting your home with bright, warm lights can provide research-based
light therapy that combats SAD. Creating a sort of false summer inside your
home gives your brain a refuge from the gloomy winter months. Working at Lit
Living, we get these benefits by default, but your home can be just as bright
as our showroom! It’s doable and cost-effective—browse our catalog to see just how many
options are out there.

To get the full emotional boost from your home lighting,
you’ll need a certain quantity of warm light. In the bedroom, plan 35-45 lumens
per square foot. The living room needs 20-30 lumens/sq. foot and the kitchen
70-80 lumens/sq. foot. Just multiply the length and width of the room, count up
the total lumens of your fixtures (lamps included), then divide lumens by
square footage.

Example: Your living room is 12’
x 14’, which totals 168 sq. ft. You have one ceiling fan with 4 bulbs, and each
bulb has 1100 lumens. That’s a total of 4400 lumens, so divide it by 168 sq. ft
to determine that your room is lit at 26 lumens/ sq. ft. Looking great!

Keep in mind that high kelvin ratings are less effective for improving mood, so aim for 3500-5000k. Full spectrum bulbs are a good way to achieve this, along with any other bulb that mimics natural light.

You Can Combat SAD

Though you may not be able to avoid all the winter blues,
there are plenty of things you can control. Simple things like your home’s
lighting, some daily exercise, and a few minutes outside can help boost your
mood. Best of luck from Super Lite— may winter be a beautiful season.