Residential care homes for the elderly are houses in neighborhoods that have been renovated and staffed to care for a small number of residents. Can reducing EMFs at these facilities make the final years of your loved one’s life more comfortable?
It’s worth considering. After all, some EMFs have been linked to headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleepiness, difficulty in concentration, poor memory, emotional instability, and labile cardiovascular function.
In fact, radiofrequency radiation exposure has been shown to affect the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. When the BBB is more permeable, more toxins circulating in the blood can reach the brain. In Dementia, BBB breakdown and cerebral hypoperfusion cause brain damage and a decline in cognition.
In California, there are over 8,100 licensed residential board and care facilities for the elderly. Last month I visited six of these senior care homes around the Conejo Valley (Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Newbury Park area).
I learned two things. First, we met some very dedicated owners and their staff. The care and compassion shown to the elderly at these places was something to appreciate. Granted, we visited an “n” of 6 and these were known to be high quality places.
Second, most of these facilities have, by Building Biology standards, completely unacceptable levels of non-ionizing radiation.
Here is what I observed:
- one home was only 375′ away from a large cell tower with powerful 4G-LTE modulated transmissions and 30′ from overhead electrical distribution lines. Another was approx. 650′ from a similar multi-antenna cell tower. At close proximity, this radiation can disrupt sleep, cause feelings of unease, headaches, down-regulate mood, etc. In the 375′ proximity home the regional administrator confided to me that she got headaches every time she visited. Although short-term exposures do not always show effects, certainly the caregiving staff would have repeated, chronic exposures.
- four homes had large rooftop solar photovoltaic systems generating troublesome levels of micro-surge electrical pollution plus static magnetic fields. The big problem is the inverter, which accomplishes the DC-to-AC conversion by switching energy back and forth very rapidly. This process creates unwanted kHz frequency “dirty electricity” emissions and this back-feeds into every room of the house. Imagine 2,200 feet of Romex, in-wall electrical wiring inside a residential care home that effectively becomes an unintended radio transmitter. It’s a real bio-irritant.
- At one board and care home I tested, the dirty electricity levels inside the house were scary high. The actual levels I measured were equivalent to what the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found was linked to a 26% increased risk for cancers in this study.
- All the homes had WiFi and DECT phones producing 24/7 microwave radiation. At one residence, the manager was receptive to allowing me to modify two of the devices to reduce exposure levels inside the house. The before/after reductions in power density was encouraging as we were there to help create a healthier room for one of the ladies.
- Several homes had beds located a foot or two from electrical “smart” meters and main electrical panels on the other side of the wall. This exposed some occupants to both power frequency fields and high frequency fields. Unfortunately, “Smart” meters are known to transmit many hundreds, if not thousands of pulsed microwave transmissions during essential nighttime sleeping hours — an unwanted sleep disruptor.
- Many of the homes had energy efficient (yet biologically stressful) lights that produced a limited, unnatural spectrum of light energy. Some bulbs produced unhealthy light flicker (yep, got a meter for that) which can stress human biology. Other light bulbs produced electromagnetic interference (EMI) with frequencies extending several feet out into the room. Having so many “zombie” lights throughout the homes left us with an uncomfortable feeling. A few healthy bulbs (some for daytime/some for nighttime) would make a big difference.
- All the residential care homes I visited were at one time single family homes that were subsequently purchased then renovated to put in extra bedrooms and special equipment. In one home I tested the electrical outlets with an Ideal Circuit Analyzer. It indicated abnormalities such as stray voltage running on the system ground — another type of e-pollution that is of increasing interest to Building Biologists.
Summary: The wide variety of EMF emissions that I found in residential care homes led me to one conclusion. E-pollution unnecessarily detracts from the overall comfort, health and peace of mind for both guests and employees. The good news is that it doesn’t need to be this way.
Positive Steps for Owners and Guests of Residential Care Homes
Fortunately, many EMF problems have solutions. Non-sinusoidal solar inverter electrical waveforms can be corrected with the right aftermarket filtration. Dirty Electricity from other sources can be dramatically reduced. Issues brought about by WiFi, DECT and “smart” meters can be addressed so you can keep desired connectivity but with less radiation. Nearby cell tower emissions can be shielded if necessary. These are just a few of many protocols for creating a quieter, more peaceful senior care home.
Room conditioning technology can also be installed to produce ozone-free, high volume Negative Air Ions for a fresh, lite and breathe-easy feeling in rooms. Healthier lights can be put into rooms and common areas. Would you like to take it to the next level? For improved brain function, better mood and sleep, why not offer your guests PhotoBioModulation?
Both EMF Safety and Environmental Therapeutics are valuable upgrades to residential care homes. It’s relatively inexpensive to accomplish. These improvements can make a positive difference in the lives of both elderly residents and hard working staff members. I think family members would agree…it’s a place for mom so why not create the healthiest home possible for her?
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Narramore.