Bright Light Therapy in Older Adults With Moderate to Very Severe Dementia

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INTRODUCTION: Bright light therapy (BLT) has demonstrated positive effects on sleep, mood, and behavioral problems in older adults with dementia. However, there is little research in people with advanced stages of dementia. OBJECTIVES: Main objectives are to study the immediate effects, short and long-term effects of BLT in a sample of institutionalized older adults with moderate to very severe dementia. Later, to compare the potential effectiveness of bright light therapy sessions with other non-pharmacological interventions in people with dementia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study was a 2 x 2 randomized controlled trial using a two-group design (BLT vs. control) and two repeated measures (pre- vs. postintervention). In addition, the BLT group participants were assessed immediately before, after, and during each session. The BLT protocol consisted of 30-minute morning sessions of 10,000 lux, Monday through Friday, for 4 weeks. For the statistical analysis, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to determine the existence of differences at two points in time (pre- vs. post-). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test or the Paired t test are used to measure changes from before to after the intervention sessions.

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