The group began with the assumption that sundowning is a real phenomenon. And in the workshops she's conducted for caregivers, Falvo has found near-unanimous opinion. Something is occurring, whether we can explain what that is or not. Medical articles that do accept the reality of sundown syndrome often ascribe it to hunger, fatigue, drug side effects, or other factors. Falvo doesn't think that's a coincidence.
Light certainly has an effect on animal behavior.
There's a lot of research in that regard, in terms of reproduction and other types of behavior. The SIUC research grew out of an interior design project with Senior Adult Services, a senior citizen's center in Carbondale. The center asked Melinda La Garce, an assistant professor of interior design, to oversee the furnishing of the rooms in its new Alzheimer's day-care unit. As she read up on Alzheimer's symptoms and caregiving strategies to plan the design, La Garce ran across references to sundown syndrome and realized that the project offered an intriguing opportunity for research. With the center's assistance, she teamed up with Falvo and Sharon Smaga, assistant director of the SIU School of Medicine's Family and Community Medicine Clinic in Carbondale, to see if special lighting could help Alzheimer's patients.