Let There Be Light

After Dad’s stroke, we started to look at everything in his home in a different light (pun intended). We had never noticed the sliding glass door threshold between the living room and Florida room and now it jumped out at us, just as we were sure it would jump out at Dad. It was a serious trip hazard, especially at night. We ran an LED strip along the threshold. While the solution didn’t eliminate the trip hazard, it illuminated it and that was a start. The light strip drew oohs and ahhs from the visiting post stroke therapists. 

Dad was up at all hours of the night and didn’t turn on lights during his bathroom runs or kitchen runs. We installed battery operated, motion sensored lights along the most heavily travelled paths including one next to the toilet. They weren’t attractive, but very functional because they could be placed anywhere we needed them. Function over fashion was our motto. Dad didn’t love them as much as we did. He didn’t like the way they looked and insisted that he didn’t need them. Within a month, he began to alert us when the batteries went out. Success! We got smarter and set up a regular reminder to switch the batteries. In addition to the high traffic lanes, we placed similar censored lights under the kitchen counter and in dark areas in the closet. Just a reach of the hand activated the light. Magic! These lights have value in the case of a power outage, something on our minds as we approach hurricane season.

Dad paints. He also has glaucoma and macular degeneration. He has moved into his impressionist phase and detail is less important than interpretation. As well, his speed has increased. He paints one landscape painting a day on a 14×18 canvas. A low vision occupational therapist looked at his set up and suggested we get a daylight spectrum LED lamp. Brilliant! This was a game changer. Dad now paints indoors in full sunlight! The floor lamp was such a hit that we got a second to put behind his sofa so that he could simply reach up and push a button if he needed more light for a task. Then, we added LED table lamps, one on each side of his bed that he could turn on and adjust by touch. Progress!

The big hit with Dad was when we tied the living room lights into the Amazon Echo (Alexa) device. Dad was familiar with how to use Alexa to listen to music, ask about the weather and set alarms, so this adjustment was an easy learning curve. “Alexa, turn on living room” and there was light. “Alexa, Christmas tree on.” The possibilities seemed endless, but in fact they were not. Unfortunately, the LED lamps would not take direction from Alexa. Still, a big WIN! We replaced the under counter sensor lights in the kitchen with Alexa compatible LED lights. 

So far, we had addressed safety concerns and activities. Our final change was to switch the outdoor light to one with a dusk to dawn sensor and just leave it on all the time. These changes all made life easier and safer and have been great solutions. Dad has a new request and we are excited to have a new lighting problem to solve. He wants more light in his bedroom and I would like Alexa to be a part of this solution, so will update on that as it evolves. 

Navigating the Caregiver River: A Journey to Sustainable Caregiving is available on Amazon. Also, check out the Self-Caregiving Strategies Podcast.

Schedule Theresa Wilbanks to speak on caregiving and empower the caregivers in your workplace or community with the 12 Sustainable Caregiving Strategies.

Advice offered is for general information only; please contact your healthcare team, legal or financial advisors to guide your particular situation.