Light boxes can help older people with dementia

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7413.468-b

BMJ 2003;327:468 (30 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7413.468-b

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Light boxes can help older people with dementia

London Stephen Pincock

Older people with dementia whose syndrome includes agitation or sleep disturbance can benefit from bright light therapy during the dark winter months, British researchers have reported.

Harry Allen and E Jane Byrne led a team from Manchester Royal Infirmary and elsewhere, who conducted a randomised, placebo controlled trial of 47 residents of local nursing homes who had severe dementia.

They administered light therapy at 10 000 lux two hours daily for two weeks in the treatment arm and 100 lux in an identical light box as the placebo, the researchers told the 11th congress of the International Psychogeriatric Association in Chicago, Illinois, last week. A nurse was with both sets of patients during the treatment.

"Patients who sat in front of a bright light box for two hours each morning for two weeks slept longer and more deeply than people who sat in front of dim light . . . [Full text of this article]

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