Watermark Retirement Communities plans to install LED lighting to help address sundowning symptoms and other resident sleep/wake needs in its new memory care residences.

The Tucson, Arizona-based senior living operator will install Healthe’s True Circadian™ lighting in its California and New York properties. The lighting choice complements a new suite of holistic services, said Aras Erekul, M.D., MMH, the company’s newly hired national director of integrative well-being.

“Circadian lighting is hypothesized to be beneficial for energy levels and emotional regulation of all individuals in the space, including our associates as well as family members visiting,” Erekul told McKnight’s. “We are willing to experiment and learn together.”

According to Healthe, facility operators can modulate GoodDay® and GoodNight® LED lighting to mimic natural daily light patterns, regulating residents’ exposure to a light-dark cycle. This in turn may help to alleviate the symptoms of sundowners syndrome and improve sleep quality in memory impaired residents, explains the lighting developer on its website

At press time, Watermark was assessing exact lighting placement options within the new facilities. The plan is to eventually expand the installation to residences nationwide, said Erekul, who most recently was employed by luxury lifestyle brand, wellness resort and spa operator Canyon Ranch, of Fort Worth, Texas.

Erekul was hired to help Watermark launch enhanced well-being programs, the company said in a statement. These will include access to high-end resort-style amenities such as spa treatment rooms, lap pools, fully equipped fitness centers, movement studios, and sessions of yoga and tai chi, it reported.