Environments for Aging - Summer 2022 - 12

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LENDING A HAND
awards
Celebrate senior living standouts
T
research
AGE WELL STUDY REPORTS FOURTH-YEAR DATA
related to residents' response to the COVID-19
pandemic. More than 3,400 residents in 122
CCRCs participated in the recent survey.
Among the findings:
* CCRC residents, on average, exhibited low
levels of stress and high levels of resilience
during the pandemic.
* Higher levels of extroversion, agreeableness,
and openness to new experiences are associated
with less stress and better resilience
during the pandemic.
M
ATHER INSTITUTE AND Northwestern University
released the latest findings from its
Age Well Study, a five-year nationwide
study examining the impact of residing in a continuing
care retirement community (CCRC) on
residents' health and wellness. In its fourth year,
the survey examined how specific individual and
organizational factors, changes in the quality of
social relationships, and coping strategies are
12 | summer 2022
* Strengthening the quality of relationships with
children may be of greatest importance when
cultivating resilience during difficult times.
Previous years of the study have explored establishing
baseline measures of residents' health
and wellness; factors associated with residents'
physical health and healthy behaviors; and the
link between residents' happiness and their individual
personality traits, resources, communal
factors, and behaviors.
All the reports are available for download at
theagewellstudy.com.
O REGOGNIZE THE individuals who are advancing
the design of senior living environments,
Environments for Aging will begin accepting
nominations for its annual EFA Design Champions
awards program in August.
Nominees may include architects, interior designers, providers, owner/operators, community
staff/caregivers, engineers, construction professionals, researchers, academics, etc.-anyone directly
involved in the planning and design of a senior living environment. Related work should be in settings
such as skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation, hospice, independent
living, and 55+ housing, with considerations made for senior-specific solutions created in acute and postacute
care facilities.
All nominees for EFA Design Champions should be individuals. However, one project team award may
be given to recognize a multi-person effort. The nomination deadline is Sept. 16, and the nomination form
can be found at EFAmagazine.com/events/efa-design-champions.
Winners will be announced this fall and recognized in the Winter 2022 issue of EFA. Winners will also
be celebrated during a magazine awards luncheon at the 2023 Environments for Aging Conference + Expo,
to be held April 15-18 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C.
I
N SPRING, Juniper Village at
Bucks County in Bensalem,
Pa., got some additional help
to enhance its dining services
when owner Juniper Communities
began piloting the use of
robots. Kris Kishbaugh, regional
director of dining services for
Juniper Communities, says the
357,000-square-foot continuing
care retirement community
(CCRC) wanted to test if using
robots to expedite food delivery
and table bussing at its café
would help improve service
and alleviate some pressure
on staffing.
The units, Servi advanced
technology by Bear Robotics,
are self-driving and measure
three feet tall. They come with
a tray and a bus tub that can be
attached. Cameras and sensors
help them navigate a space.
Kishbaugh says initially residents
were skeptical but quickly
accepted robots as another
tool in use at the CCRC. On the
staffing side, he says the program
allowed servers to spend
more time in front of residents
rather than running back and
forth to the kitchen.
Following the month-long
pilot, the community decided
to move forward with a threeyear
contract with the technology
provider and is considering
placing units at additional
communities that have a universal
worker model.-AD
efamagazine.com
JUNIPER VILLAGE AT BUCKS COUNTY (ROBOTS)

http://www.EFAmagazine.com/events/efa-design-champions http://www.theagewellstudy.com http://www.efamagazine.com

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