How CERTUS Institute is using circadian lighting to improve dementia care quality in senior living centers

A groundbreaking initiative between the CERTUS Institute, Healthe® Lighting, and the National Institute for Dementia Education (NIDE) is using circadian-aligned lighting systems to improve health outcomes for residents with dementia. As part of a service-improvement project implemented across CERTUS Senior Living communities, the collaboration has introduced scientifically engineered lighting solutions that mimic the body’s natural biological rhythms, delivering tangible improvements in sleep, navigation, and behavior among individuals suffering from cognitive decline.

The research-focused dementia care institute is piloting this lighting model across its residential communities, marking the first time such technology has been integrated at scale into a dementia-centric care model in the United States. Backed by Healthe®’s patented circadian lighting platform and contextualized by NIDE’s education-based frameworks, the collaboration is shaping a novel environment-driven therapeutic model in elder care.

The use of environmental interventions such as lighting represents an emerging domain in geriatric healthcare, echoing recent calls from institutional researchers and long-term care analysts who have urged non-pharmaceutical methods to enhance quality of life in memory care settings.

How does circadian lighting in dementia-focused residential care settings help align internal biological rhythms?

At the center of the CERTUS Institute’s service innovation is the concept of circadian-aligned lighting — technology that mimics the sun’s natural intensity and color temperature throughout the day to regulate human biological clocks. This intervention directly targets the internal circadian rhythm, a physiological cycle deeply connected to sleep, alertness, hormone production, and emotional stability.

In the CERTUS study, this technology was implemented to support residents suffering from memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases, where natural circadian cues are often disrupted. According to early data gathered through this pilot project, residents exposed to synchronized lighting patterns showed a marked reduction in agitation and confusion during evening hours, along with improved daytime alertness and restfulness during the night.

By aligning ambient light conditions with the natural 24-hour biological rhythm, residents demonstrated reduced incidence of sundowning — a common condition in dementia where patients become increasingly confused or agitated as daylight fades. These outcomes are especially significant for long-term care centers where maintaining predictable routines and minimizing behavioral disruptions is key to patient well-being and caregiver efficiency.

What evidence shows circadian lighting improves sleep and mobility in memory care communities?

Preliminary data from the CERTUS Institute’s initiative suggest that strategically installed circadian lighting had a noticeable effect on three core patient parameters: sleep patterns, mobility navigation, and mood regulation. Care professionals observed that residents were more alert in the morning, rested more soundly at night, and exhibited fewer behavioral disturbances in transitional periods such as twilight.

Researchers also noted that lighting-based environmental cues — such as subtle visual gradients and directional intensity — improved wayfinding capabilities among memory care patients. This refers to the ability of residents to move confidently within their living spaces, which has traditionally been a challenge in dementia environments due to spatial disorientation.

Institutional caregivers at CERTUS Senior Living locations reported a decrease in incident reports associated with wandering or hallway confusion, indicating that lighting served not just as an aesthetic improvement but as a cognitive guide. Additionally, the project emphasized that residents’ mood scores improved over time, showing reduced irritability and greater social engagement.

Such findings are gaining traction among healthcare real estate investors and geriatric strategy consultants, who have increasingly promoted care environments that serve both medical and emotional functions.

How is CERTUS Institute integrating this therapeutic lighting model into future facility design?

Following the success of its initial deployment, the CERTUS Institute plans to integrate circadian lighting technology into all upcoming CERTUS Senior Living projects. The memory-care research and development unit will work closely with Healthe® Lighting to create a scalable blueprint for therapeutic lighting integration — not only as a retrofit but as a core design feature in newly built communities.

This signals a paradigm shift in how memory-care facilities approach architectural planning and sensory health. Future facilities under CERTUS will emphasize environmental neurotherapy, where design elements such as light, color, sound, and space work cohesively to stabilize cognitive rhythms.

Moreover, the institute is publishing its findings to encourage broader adoption across the senior living industry, hoping to influence best practices among dementia care providers nationwide. According to CERTUS researchers, including Dr. Joshua J. Freitas and Theda Heiserman, this model transforms lighting from a passive background element into an active, evidence-based intervention.

Their sentiment echoes a growing institutional consensus that therapeutic design should not be an afterthought but a strategic pillar in long-term elder care planning.

What is the scientific basis behind circadian light therapy for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients?

The concept of circadian therapy is grounded in chronobiology — the scientific study of natural biological rhythms that govern sleep-wake cycles, hormonal secretions, and metabolic activity. In dementia patients, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease, these cycles are often disrupted, leading to fragmented sleep, poor orientation, and mood instability.

Circadian lighting mimics the temporal spectrum of sunlight — with blue-enriched, high-intensity light in the morning and warmer, lower intensity light in the evening. This simulates natural solar progression, helping regulate the body’s production of melatonin and cortisol, two key hormones associated with sleep and alertness.

Clinical studies in sleep science and cognitive therapy have shown that older adults benefit significantly from regular exposure to naturalistic light, especially those with reduced access to sunlight due to limited mobility. Dementia patients are particularly sensitive to light irregularities, making circadian lighting an effective, non-invasive method to stabilize internal cycles and reduce reliance on sedatives.

While not a standalone cure, experts consider it a powerful complement to pharmaceutical, occupational, and social interventions in dementia care.

What future innovations are expected in dementia care environments using wellness-driven lighting?

Institutional investors and care innovators are closely watching how the CERTUS model evolves, especially as regulators and insurers increasingly emphasize non-pharmacological outcomes in elder care metrics. Future iterations of the lighting model may integrate smart sensors, AI-driven personalization, and interactive platforms that adapt lighting based on individual sleep data or behavioral patterns.

Healthe® Lighting has hinted at advancing its wellness platform into dynamic systems that adjust to resident biofeedback in real time — a vision that aligns with CERTUS Institute’s broader research agenda. By incorporating machine learning into lighting schedules, future dementia care centers could deliver hyper-personalized environmental conditions, further improving patient well-being and operational efficiency.

Industry sentiment remains positive, with long-term care developers, architecture firms, and senior housing REITs increasingly aligning with therapeutic design as a value proposition. Analysts believe that as data accumulates, circadian lighting could become standard in next-generation memory care environments, much like handrails and fall-proof flooring.

CERTUS’s leadership in this area positions it as a frontrunner in what institutional strategists are calling “theranostic design”—where care and environment co-evolve.