Sycamores shines a light on resident wellbeing with innovative lighting system

We have introduced an innovative lighting system at Sycamores care home in Leamington Spa - making it the first care home in the area, and the UK, to retrofit a new circadian lighting system into an older building to improve the wellbeing of residents, especially those living with dementia.

The new lights, which mimic natural daylight patterns, have already led to significant improvements in residents’ sleep, mood, and interaction. Changing from bright white light in the day to warm, low, candlelight in the evening - just as sunlight does – the lights align with the body’s natural rhythm, or circadian cycle.

“In one of our residents, we saw daytime sleeping drop dramatically, and they became more engaged and relaxed,” said Ed Russell, Chief Executive. “We’re seeing calmer evenings, fewer incidents of distress, and much more meaningful engagement between residents and carers.”

Using a recognised observational tool developed by Bradford University called Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) the positive impacts for residents have been undeniable with WCS Care recording a 58% reduction in daytime sleeping, a 470% increase in social interaction, and a 360% improvement in overall mood. The impacts are particularly noticeable in people living with dementia, who are often more sensitive to external factors.

We worked with lighting specialists, researchers and designers to install the system without any rewiring - an important factor in older buildings like Sycamores. The new lights were simply fitted in place of existing ones and communicate wirelessly, adjusting automatically throughout the day.

This simple but powerful change is already having a big impact, transforming the feel of the home for both residents and staff. One carer at Sycamores said: “It’s made such a difference. It feels calmer and more homely - residents are more relaxed and therefore so are we.”

We hope that by showing what’s possible, more homes across the region will be inspired to use the power of light to support the health and wellbeing of their residents, and staff. We now plan on rolling out this impactful lighting to all of our care homes.

Photo caption: John Bullock lighting designer, Ed Russell, Chief Executive of WCS Care and Dr Shelley James lighting expert who have worked together on the project