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One for the list while you wait to collect the kids
This week we heard the penultimate in Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan brilliant lecture series with one of my heroes, Kathryn Reid of Feinberg University. Kathryn recently contributed to this paper about the health risks of light after dark in the Sleep journal which, paradoxically, is likely to keep you awake at night! Light at night in older age is associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Details of the series and links to listen again is here – https://www.sg.tum.de/en/chronobiology/teaching/2022-2023/talk-series-current-topics-in-sleep-circadian-health/
Spring sunshine has felt so good this week – although the sand was still frosty underfoot.
So it’s sobering to realise that one in five people in residential care may not get outside today at all. We all feel better when we get a breath of fresh air. These studies show how simple adjustments to lighting, building design and staff engagement can encourage people living in long-term residential care to get outside as much as possible – and to get enough light when they can’t. This in turn can improve sleep, mood, memory and other symptoms of dementia. Understanding the Barriers and Enablers to Using Outdoor Spaces in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Review
Please join an online conversation on Tuesday 7th March with Ed Russell and Jo Cheshire of WCS Care in the UK, Kirsten Sorensen Gosvig of Hillerod in Denmark and Michelle Borreson of Gundersen health to hear how they are supporting their clients and staff to enjoy the great outdoors. You will also hear how lighting and other technologies are helping residents to switch off at night and cutting the energy bills too. Innovators in Residential Healthcare
Celebrating International Women and Girls in Science day this Saturday!
I was rubbish at ‘Science’ at school. I struggled with maths. So the exciting white coats and puffs of coloured smoke coming out of the biology, physics and chemistry labs were out of bounds. But the best science is really about observing with an open mind. The 8th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly
To quote Etymonline, the root of the word, ‘scie’ means “to separate one thing from another, to distinguish’. Science solves the questions that scientists ask. So it’s time to let our sisters, daughters and nieces know they don’t need to be good at maths to be great scientists. science (n.)
Perhaps plan a trip to one of the brilliant events planned for tomorrow – including this one at the Museum for the History of Science in Oxford. International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Be Electrific!
It’s Thomas Edison’s Birthday on Saturday too. The perfect time to celebrate the ‘be electrific’ campaign and American National Day created back in 1988 by the wonderful Carolyn Finch to raise awareness that our bodies and brains are charged electrical circuits too. HISTORY OF BE ELECTRIFIC DAY