Could the secret to better sleep in aged care be hiding in plain sight?
A new Monash Health study will examine whether the design of Boollam Boollam Aged Care Centre is resulting in more meaningful outdoor access, healthier daylight exposure, and better sleep–wake patterns for residents. The centre was designed with these goals in mind.
A new Monash Health study will examine whether the design of Boollam Boollam Aged Care Centre is resulting in more meaningful outdoor access, healthier daylight exposure, and better sleep–wake patterns for residents. The centre was designed with these goals in mind.
The research will measure residents’ real-world light exposure and model its biological impact on the internal system that helps the body distinguish day from night, the circadian clock.
‘It is exciting to be leading such novel research that can make a meaningful difference to the quality of life of older adults, and Boollam Boollam Aged Care Centre provides the perfect stage for this project,’ said lead clinician researcher and allied health research officer in the Workforce, Innovation, Strategy, Education and Research (WISER) unit, Dr Katrina Kenah.
The new 150-bed facility at Kingston Centre includes design features intended to support outdoor engagement, including sunrooms, balconies, and gardens. The study will evaluate whether these features, alongside the centre’s model of care, support residents in spending more time outdoors and receiving brighter daytime light, both of which are linked to stronger day–night rhythms.
Sleep often becomes lighter and more fragmented with age, with more nighttime awakenings and daytime sleepiness. For people with dementia, disruption can be more pronounced, contributing to day–night reversal, nighttime wandering and late-afternoon agitation. In residential aged care, night-time noise, staff activity and artificial light can further interrupt sleep and reduce sleep drive.
Dr Kenah’s research reframes the issue as a design challenge as much as a clinical one: whether environments make outdoor access easy, inviting and part of everyday life.
To capture what residents experience, the study will use 10 Melanopic Eye (MiEye) wearable light sensors, funded through Community Bank Dingley Village and Private Banking Service Bendigo Bank.
About the size of a 20-cent piece, the MiEye measures light exposure from a variety of sources, from indoor LEDs to daylight, through to devices. The MiEye sends data to a smartphone application that models the impact of ambient light on the body clock.
The RADIATE study, funded through the John Cockayne Lions Trust, aims to recruit 40 participants for its natural light exposure study.
As part of the project, twelve residents will also be recruited to take photos of outdoor spaces at Boollam Boollam that they use or avoid, over one week. They’ll then choose a handful of these images to discuss in a follow‑up interview, helping the researchers understand how local outdoor spaces make people feel and what encourages, or discourages, their use.
The ambition extends beyond ‘better sleep’.
Regular outdoor time and stronger circadian rhythms are associated with better mood and quality of life, reduced agitation and disruptive behaviours, and potentially less reliance on medications used to manage altered behaviours.
Sunlight exposure also supports vitamin D production and bone health, while gardens and outdoor spaces can encourage movement, balance, social connection and meaningful activities such as caring for plants.
The research is expected to commence this year at Boollam Boollam Aged Care Centre.
The findings will guide future environmental and program improvements within Monash Health and more broadly support the aged care sector in creating environments that promote wellbeing, participation, and quality of life.
