MIL's unit has fixed reading lights above the beds, for the reason you mention William. Lamps are too dangerous.
referee50, I suspect the ceiling bulb is getting old. The light level drops considerably as 'energy saver' bulbs reach the end of their life. Ask the handyman to change it. I appreciate that the room itself has less natural light. Your dad may need the light on most of the time. I notice that in MIL's unit the bedroom lights tend to be left on. This is so the residents can make their way safely to their en suite toilet. Perhaps if there was an LED bulb your dad's light could be left on without wasting leckie?
You can now get a wide range of LED bulbs which, while not cheap to buy, will last a long time. Why not get a few different ones to try? They tend to be brighter than the old type of 'energy savers' so you don't have to go full wellie to get good lighting, even with a ceiling shade. I would say go for as warm a tone as you can with these. The light is white, not blue, but TBH I haven't found much difference in colour tone so far.
BTW, if the shade in his room is dirty it might be a matter of just changing the shade. The best kind to use in a bedroom would be the uplighter type because the bulb itself is fully shaded - you don't get glare when you are lying in bed looking upwards.