‘I’m R2-D2, and I’ll be your server’

The dining team at Wesley Enhanced Living Main Line in Media, PA, has been struggling to find workers. The continuing care retirement community decided to purchase two robots help fill the gaps and says that they have allowed the dining team to continue to provide quality service to residents amid the current challenges. The robots are called “Matradee” by Richtech Robotics, and they give residents easier access to food delivery.

Clearwater at Riverpark named Showcase Community

Clearwater at Riverpark, a luxury independent living community in Oxnard, CA, announced that it was named a Showcase Community by Sodexo, the global food service management company. Clearwater at Riverpark received the designation from among 600 senior living communities where Sodexo has partnered to provide dining services. It was one of only two communities in California to receive the top honor. “Our Riverpark team strives to go above and beyond to deliver on Clearwater’s philosophy of Empowered Living through impactful emotional, physical and social experiences in a stimulating and comfortable environment,” said Danielle Morgan, Clearwater Living’s president and chief operating officer. “We are honored to have been recognized by Sodexo for our joint commitment to provide delightful culinary experiences that feed both body and soul.”

Food choices affect life expectancy, study finds

Adults willing to ditch the typical Western diet may gain a decade or more in life expectancy, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in PLOS Medicine. The researchers found that a sustained change from a typical Western diet to the optimal diet from age 20 years is estimated to increase life expectancy by more than a decade. A change to the optimized diet at age 60 years from a typical diet is estimated to increase life expectancy by 8 years for women and 8.8 years for men, whereas 80-year-olds could gain about 3.4 years. Adoption of a feasibility diet (a midpoint between an optimal and a typical Western diet) from a typical diet is estimated to increase life expectancy by 6.2 years for 20-year-old U.S. women and 7.3 years for U.S. men. The largest gains would result from eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts and less red meat and processed meat.