Sparckelelling stories from practice. Part 7: more peace and quiet for residents of Herbergier
What does the biodynamic light of a Sparckel do for people? It is a question we are often asked. So we asked our customers. Every month, you can read a real-life story on our website. Below you can read the story of Wijnand ter Woord. Wijnand is a care entrepreneur at the small-scale residential initiative De Herbergier in Olst.
Herbergier Olst offers a home to 18 elderly people suffering from dementia. At Herbergier Olst, Wijnand and his wife Mariët, together with their committed team of carers, do their utmost to create a home where the residents feel safe and are seen and heard. The values of hospitality, proximity and expertise are central to this. In this blog, you can read more about the positive effects of the Sparckel's biodynamic light on the day-night rhythm of the residents of Herbergier Olst.
Problem statement
Owner Wijnand tells us that he and his care team have noticed that the residents of Herbergier Olst, as a result of their dementia, regularly become over-stimulated and suffer from a disrupted biological clock. He says: 'We notice that our residents take many naps during the day and then find it difficult to put them to bed in the evening. They also regularly wander off at night. In addition, many residents suffer from restricted vision. Especially in the living room during the dark winter months. We wanted to find out for ourselves whether good light could reduce these symptoms. For this reason, we installed Sparckels in the living room of Herbergier Olst: 4 models of Sunny Susan (hanging version), 2 models of Bright Brenda (standing version) and 1 model of Jolly James (table-top version).
The effects of Sparckel
When we asked Wijnand about his experiences with Sparckel, he responded enthusiastically: 'We are very happy with our Sparckels. People are visually stimulated to pick up the jam on the table for their sandwich. These are important stimuli for us. Brains must be kept in shape and this is promoted by letting people do as much as possible themselves. We believe in the combination of light, movement and just the right amount of stimuli.
Furthermore, the biological clock of our residents is more in tune thanks to the light of Sparckel. The process of going to bed is smoother. The evening light slowly diminishes and becomes warmer, creating a snoozing effect. At first, there was a kind of queue of residents who wanted to go to bed. Now, with Sparckel, the residents want to go to bed by themselves, first one, then the other. We have noticed that the nights are quieter and people are more awake during the day. Our staff have embraced the Sparckel light and immediately saw its added value. They wouldn't want to be without it now. During daytime activities, such as painting, you can adjust the light intensity.
Wijnand concludes: "We are absolutely convinced of the positive effects of Sparckel. We said to each other recently that we would like to see every elderly person have a Sparckel in their living environment. And, of course, all care workers, because our team also has more energy thanks to the Sparckel light and they also enjoy a quieter working environment. So everyone is happy.
