About Care centre Maaswaarden
The Dementia Network Breda and surroundings is a partnership between affiliated municipalities, care, ge-neral practitioners and welfare providers, Alzheimer Ne-derland and GGD West Brabant. One of the organizati-ons in this extensive network is Zorgplein Maaswaarden. As part of Maaswaarden Elderly Care, a separate depart-ment has been set up here at the main location in Wijk en Aalburg for elderly people with dementia. Maaswaarden focuses on personal care that is tailored to the individual client. After all, every person and every care need is different. Therefore, the co-workers involved first look at what clients and residents can do themselves and then what is needed to live as independently as possible. Independent does not mean that the client is alone.
The challenge
Whereas previously in healthcare there was enough manpower to give residents a lot of personal care, in today's time it is more difficult. Still everyone is doing their best to provide the maximum, but the limits are hard and unforgiving. One result is that the elderly spend less time outside. Especially when it comes to seniors with de-mentia because they often need personal assistance to be outside. Too few hours of sunlight and many hours inside - where poorer climatic conditions are also more common - can lead to depres-sion, reduced zest for life and also less need to exercise. The brain is also less activated and stimu-lated which gives room for Alzheimer's to develop further." Martin Mouthaan- responsible for technology at Zorgplein Maaswaarden: "When I came into con-tact with Rofianda, I was triggered by a special kind of 'daylight lighting'. A possible solution for our clients who so desperately need to receive sufficient sunlight?"
Kundenstimmen
At Rofianda, the effect of daylight on people's complete well-being; from physical to emotional, has long been known. A lighting plan was therefore drawn up for the dementia ward at Zorgplein Maaswaarden in which so-called 'cardiac lighting' was applied. A circadian rhythm is a biological rhythm whose cycle lasts approximately one day. By extension, cardian lighting mimics the natural course of daylight: from warmer colors at the beginning of the day to the bright, white light so characteristic of the afternoon. To best achieve this effect, full-spectrum sunlight LED lighting was used in conjunction with a Hel-var controller. The controller regulates the color temperature to match the light spectrum of the "real" sunlight outside. Since the contact person, as technical manager, wanted to exchange the lamps one by one himself, Rofianda made a drawing with all the light points and marked them with a number corresponding to the respective lamp. The program for the controls was also written.
Result
Meanwhile, the lighting was installed three years ago and is appreciated not only by the clients, but also by the care staff. During the day, the three living rooms and the atrium - as a space where people gather - are bathed in a sea of daylight of 21,000 lux. In the morning and evening hours, the light color is adjusted so that the residents can wake up calmly and relax after an - active - day. Martin: "The effect is amazing. By bringing the sun inside, our clients can clearly function better. They are more active during the day which stimulates their brains but moreover they are healthily 'tired' in the evening. As a result, we need to provide less sleep medication. Also for our own staff, this lighting gives extra energy while accompanying the clients is easier." With thorough preparation, Martin was able to literally swap the lights 1:1 and with the Helvar controller connected, had a perfectly working system immediately.