Feasibility of a Novel Lighting System to Reduce Nighttime Falls in Assisted Living Residents With Dementia.
Sheryl Zimmerman, Philip D Sloane, John S Preisser and 4 others
PMID 39182511WHAT IT FOUND
Nighttime doorframe lights did not show a clear fall reduction in assisted-living residents with dementia.
The pilot was feasible. Observed falls were 8.6 with lights and 14.3 with standard nightlights per 1000 nights; the final analysis did not rule out no effect.
Key findings
01The study recruited 56% of eligible residents, retained 78.9% for at least two periods, and had lights fully operational on all three sides for 75.4% of lighting nights with video.
02Nighttime falls were 8.6 per 1000 lighting nights and 14.3 per 1000 control nights, but the final lighting-versus-control fall ratio was 0.66 and did not rule out no effect.
03All families and staff who reported perceptions were satisfied with the lights; one family member said the lights made falling asleep more difficult, and four staff said they may have made falling or staying asleep more difficult.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a small feasibility study, not a definitive effectiveness trial. The study was planned for four 90-day periods but ended after three periods because of COVID-19 restrictions. Only 30 of 38 enrolled residents provided data for both conditions. Video recording failed on 8.3% of nights, and lighting was fully operational on all three sides for only 75.4% of lighting nights with video. One resident had 34 falls, which increased variability and made the adjusted effect inconclusive. The sample was mostly female (68%) and white (92%), so results may not apply to all assisted-living populations.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The supplied publication types list non-U.S. government and N.I.H. extramural research support; the article text does not say the funder designed or wrote the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the lighting system reduces falls. The observed 40% lower fall rate was not confirmed by the final analysis, which did not rule out no effect, and the study was a small pilot with missing video and uneven lighting operation.