Lions Befrienders and TUMCREATE Sign MoU to Study Optimal Light Exposure in Seniors

19.11.2024

 

Singapore – 19th November 2024

Lions Befrienders (LB), the social service agency, and TUMCREATE, the research platform of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Singapore, will collaborate on a research project, LightSPAN, that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in optimising light exposure and improving health outcomes among seniors.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Friday afternoon by Ms Karen Wee, Executive Director, Lions Befrienders, and Dr Stefan Klade, Chief Operating Officer, TUMCREATE, in a ceremony at the Lions Befrienders Training Centre at Stirling Road.

Under this partnership, seniors will learn how to optimise their quality of life and enhance their well-being, sleep quality and mood through increased daily exposure to natural light. This is aligned with the national initiative – Healthier SG which focuses on preventive health and encouraging seniors to take proactive steps to lead healthier lifestyles.

“We are thrilled to enter this landmark partnership with TUMCREATE on the LightSPAN project. Proper light exposure is essential to reap the benefits that impact one’s physical, emotional and mental health, but our urbanised lifestyles may notalways allow necessary access to natural light, especially among seniors who spend a significant amount of time indoors,” says Ms Karen Wee.

“Through this collaboration, we hope to share such critical knowledge with our seniors in an easy-to-understand way, using data-backed research to help them make informed decisions on ageing well in the community, in line with the Healthier SG programme.”

This study is part of the LightSPAN research project funded by the National Research Foundation Singapore, which investigates light exposure across the lifespan and effective and scalable ways to optimise light exposure. LightSPAN represents a significant step towards leveraging environmental factors like light exposure for healthier ageing. By integrating research, technology, and community engagement, the project aims to create scalable solutions for Singapore’s ageing population.

It is estimated that by 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or above, up from one in 10 in 2010¹. Getting the right light at the right time can help seniors to age well and healthily.

Light detected through the eyes has a profound influence on human health and wellbeing², making light exposure a key environmental factor of healthy ageing³. Specifically, seniors are vulnerable to insufficient light exposure which affects their circadian rhythm, sleep, cognition and mood.

Stage one of the project led by TUMCREATE will begin in January 2025. The team of researchers will collaborate with senior participants to co-design a study app focusing on their needs and preferences.

During this study, the participants will wear a light sensor device throughout the day to measure their exposure to visible light. With the data collected, the participants will receive personalised feedback via the smartphone app called LightUP.

The participants will be able to get information on their light exposure trends and receive recommendations through the app on how to adjust their daily routines for improved well-being.

Supplementing the study, experts from the TUMCREATE team will give educational talks about the importance of light exposure in facilitating healthy ageing. Consultation sessions with LB community service providers will be held to gather feedback and ensure the study’s intervention is tailored to the needs of seniors.

"We are very excited about this collaboration, which will support healthy ageing by focusing on individual needs and preferences in a personalised way,” says Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan, the Principal Investigator of the project and Professor for Chronobiology and Health from TUM.

 

About Lions Befrienders

Established in 1995, Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore) [LBSA] is a voluntary welfare organisation dedicated to providing holistic care and support to help seniors age healthily in place with community participation, enabling them to enjoy purposeful and meaningful lives. Through the active involvement of some 1,000regular volunteers, LBSA engages more than 13,000 seniors via a spectrum of integrated eldercare services catering to their social, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual needs. LBSA currently operates 10 Active Ageing Centres, two Community Case Management Services regions (East & West), Home Personal Care services, as well as a Befriending arm that reaches out to socially isolated seniors.

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About TUMCREATE

Founded in 2010, TUMCREATE is a multidisciplinary research platform fostering bilateral research exchanges between the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the world's leading universities, local institutions, and public agencies as well as industry partners from the region to contribute to the sustainable transformation of societies through science and technology. Funded by the National Research Foundation, TUMCREATE's multi-faceted research projects span topics from urban mobility, food science and technology, biomedical technology, and preventive care to solutions for a carbon-neutral megacity. Over the last years, the research teams presented more than 1,000 publications, with more than 70 doctoral students qualified for a career in research and industry. These achievements and the strong rapport established with its international partners reflect the institution's high-quality research output and scientific impact.

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About LightSPAN

A multi-disciplinary research collaboration between TUMCREATE and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Project LightSPAN examines the efficacy of optimising light exposure to reduce myopia prevalence among school-going children and promote resilient ageing through a novel smartphone-delivered behaviour-changing programme. This will lead to therollout of an individually tailored, low-intensity behaviour-modification programme delivered through the smartphone application “LightUP”.

 

For further information, please contact:

Jeanie Neo

Lions Befrienders Branding & Communications Manager

Email: gimwhee.neo@lb.org.sg

 

Faye Soo

TUMCREATE Corporate Communications

Email: faye.soo@tum-create.edu.sg

 

References

1. ACTION PLAN FOR SUCCESSFUL AGEING 2023 | Ministry of Health (2024)Available at: https://www.moh.gov.sg/others/resources-and-statistics/action-planfor-successful-ageing

2. Blume, C., Garbazza, C. and Spitschan, M. (2019) Effects of light on humancircadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie (Berl) 23 (3) pp.147–156. DOI:10.1007/s11818-019-00215-x

3. Shen, J. and Tower, J. (2019) Effects of light on aging and longevity, AgeingResearch Reviews, 53 p.100913. DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.100913