Evidence-Based Design Journal Clubs are formatted for 15-minute presentations and 45-minutes of discussion to provide an opportunity for attendees to interact with authors who recently published EBD papers or articles in peer-reviewed journals such as HERD. Learn as they share ways to put their research into practice.
The main purpose of this research is to examine the lighting condition and residents’ perception of lighting in a senior retirement community in order to understand various environmental issues related to lighting. Also, this research aims to suggest a new lighting solution to compensate for older adults’ vision impairment and challenges at home for a successful aging place.
In the normal aging process, more than 30% of older adults have a vision impairment, which negatively affects health and well-being of older adults such as limited activities, falling, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and a sense of control. Via a mixed method study design, residents in senior living communities were asked to describe the adequacy of light levels and specific tasks and needs related to lighting at their home. In addition to the survey and interview, indoor lighting assessments were conducted during the in-home session.
The research findings highlighted older adults’ experience and perception of lighting in their homes. Paired-sample t test indicated that there were statistically significant differences in light levels between normal conditions and full capacity conditions in all spaces. In order to address various challenges which older adults have been experiencing in their home for a long time, this research suggests new smart lighting platform which provides a proper level of illumination in older adult’s homes. Such a smart platform is proactive and can dynamically adjust the smart devices or lighting fixtures in situ, while older adults are performing certain tasks.
Experts
Daejin Kim, PhD, EDAC, CAPS, LEED Associate, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interior Design at Iowa State University. He received a doctoral degree in Interior Design and a minor degree in Research & Evaluation Methodology (REM) focusing on quantitative methods from the University of Florida. His research is focusing on healthcare and residential environment that fosters users’ health, and well-being has been published in journals such as Journal of Environmental Psychology, Journal of Housing for the Elderly, Health Environments Research and Design Journal, and Journal of Interior Design. His most current research includes developing a smart home housing for older adults and investigating user’s emotional experience in the built environment. His teaching efforts are directed towards demonstrating the application of research and theory to interior design, emphasizing wellness and evidence-based design at undergraduate and graduate level.
Hongyi Bian, is currently a doctoral student in Computer Science at Iowa State University studying under Professor Carl K. Chang. He received his Bachelor's (2018) and Master's (2020) degrees both in Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. He is a teaching assistant and serves as a graduate assistant in the Smart Home Lab at Iowa State University. His research interest is focused on Smart Home Technologies, IoT, and Cloud Service Computing.
Jennifer Margrett, PhD, is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Director of the Gerontology Program at Iowa State University, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Human Sciences. As a psychologist and gerontologist, her work centers on optimizing adult development and aging, particularly cognitive and everyday functioning. With interdisciplinary collaborators, Margrett explores the intersection of biosychosocial factors and technology to enhance daily functioning.