The purpose statement of the regulations notes that, due to the normal aging process, lighting needs for facility residents are more specialized than for the general population. Robert Dupuy, senior lighting design specialist for Interface Engineering, Inc., and Eunice Noell, president of the Center for Design for an Aging Society, helped write the Oregon licensing code. A common misconception of designers, according to Dupuy, is that they can't create the proper lighting environment without sacrificing atmosphere. Architects and designers want a 'residential' look that most believe can only be achieved through incandescent fixtures, says Noell. They're using a light source as a design object.
Budgetary restrictions are another familiar obstacle.
The dollar signs start to add up and we have a real battle on our hands as to why they should make a design change. Nonetheless, Noell believes that changes in awareness on the part of facility architects, designers, developers and owners are not only necessary but inevitable. What's more, as the human eye ages, it requires ever-increasing amounts of light to maintain a consistent visual acuity. Exposing facility residents to daylight can be as simple as designing decks or balconies directly off residents' rooms, says Noell. Use of light shelves or other means of bouncing daylight indirectly into interior spaces also can be effective, and at the same time reduce the need for artificial light sources.