Archive: September 30, 2021

Education

Brainly survey: 82% of Indian schools are still using online platforms for learning

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

The survey sheds light on student’s sentiments with regards to the reopening of schools and the future of online education in a post-pandemic scenario

Mumbai: September 30th, 2021: As the Indian government greenlights the partial reopening of schools, Brainly, the world’s largest online learning platform, has conducted a survey to understand how EdTech will fit into student’s lives as the learning paradigm shifts yet again. Collecting 1,731 responses in total, Brainly’s survey maps several interesting insights. The key highlights from the survey include:

Rajesh, CPO Brainly

1. Most students are excited about schools reopening

The viral outbreak caused an overnight shift towards digital learning, bringing EdTech into sharper relief. A majority (82%) of Brainly students in India are now excited to return to brick-and-mortar schools. Speaking on the trend, Rajesh Bysani, CPO at Brainly says “Although Indian students have adapted well to the often stressful study from home paradigm, they are looking forward to going back to the physical classrooms. It seems evident that no tech can replace friendships and interactions with peers.” 61% of the students also claimed that their parents are comfortable sending them to physical classes, further painting the development in a positive light.

2. Schools are taking proper safety precautions

79% of the surveyed students feel that their schools are taking all the necessary precautionary measures as they return to school buildings. More than half of the students (55%) have mentioned that attending physical classes is mandatory according to their school. This, in turn, implies that several schools are still taking the online learning route as they continue to err on the side of caution while pandemic restrictions persist in several regions of the country. In fact, 82% of students have mentioned that their schools still use online platforms for learning.

3. Students and schools continue relying on EdTech

Now the students have not just adapted to online platforms but also thrived within this medium. It is no surprise that 77% of students continue to seek assistance from online learning platforms such as Brainly even after their schools have reopened. Furthermore, a majority of students (75%) would want their schools to follow a hybrid model of learning for the foreseeable future.

Speaking on the survey results, Rajesh Bysani, Chief Product Officer at Brainly, commented, “During the pandemic-induced lockdown, online platforms were the only option for students to continue learning from home. Now, even as schools reopen, it is clear that online learning is here to stay. The survey notes that while a vast number of students wish to return to physical learning, an equally substantial group wishes to permanently adopt a hybrid manner of learning. As a platform that encourages and enables online learning, these findings are aligned with Brainly’s belief that digital tools and traditional pedagogy will work hand-in-hand to make education more accessible and affordable.”

Business

Johnson Pedder forays into PTMT bathroom fittings market, launches two all-new faucet ranges – Cool & Delight

Sep 30, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

New Delhi: Johnson Pedder, a brand under the umbrella of Roca Group, today introduced its newest category; PTMT, a concise form of Plastic that combines the best properties of synthetic & metals. It ensures great applicability and durability and contributes to the longevity of the products. As the brand forays into the PTMT Bathroom Fittings market in India, Johnson Pedder has launched a brand new two faucet range ‘Cool’ & ‘Delight’with 12 SKUs in each range catering to all the requirements of faucets.

With the perfect blend of functionality and style, the leak-free, affordable and durable faucets are made from the toughest of materials. The material is resistant to environmental stress cracking, stain-resistant and is antistatic, ensuring zero dust deposits. In order to compliment the unmatched performance of the ‘Cool & Delight’ range, Johnson Pedder is also introducing bathroom fittings including connection hose, waste coupling, bottle trap, health faucet and waste pipe.

Commenting on the launch, Mr.K.E Ranganathan, Managing Director of Johnson Pedder said, “PTMT bathroom fittings market in India has been growing at a great pace and is expected to increase in the coming future. At Johnson Pedder, all our products go through rigorous tests in our lab which guarantee its performance. The category offers premium quality along while also being budget friendly making the Cool and Delight faucet range a value for money proposition for any bathroom. With this launch, Johnson Pedder aims to tap consumers in the entry-level segment who aspire to have high quality bathroom products without excessively stretching their budget.”

Johnson Pedder’s Cool and Delight faucet range is aesthetically designed for supreme performance, which is leak free, durable and affordable. It offers 3 years of warranty and ISI certification for select products. Johnson Pedder products undergo the best quality checks in the industry and are manufactured under industry-standard guidelines making them durable and able to satisfy the needs of consumers with varied requirements.
The ‘Cool & Delight’ range products are available in PAN India.

Business, Business World

Around 50K affordable houses may be delivered by year end

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

The affordable housing real estate market is making an impressive rebound, despite the general slowdown triggered by the pandemic. The latest projections by real estate consultants Anarock and prominent builders of Delhi-NCR suggest that around 50,000 affordable homes, including 16,000 in Gurgaon, would be up for grabs by this year-end.

As on date, some 1.80 lakh affordable homes (less than Rs 40 lakh) are at various stages of construction in NCR. In Haryana, some 110 affordable housing licences have been issued by the department of town and country planning (DTCP) since 2014, with the major share in Gurgaon and Sohna. Though around 80,000 units have been sold, only 22,000 have been delivered to date.

Industry experts say with markets opening up and business returning to normal, the residential real estate market seems to be coming back on track.

Surinder Singh, Director of the GLS Group, said that so far only 22,000 affordable housing units have been delivered though around 80,000 units were sold in the past seven years. “We estimate around 50,000 units are going to be delivered by the end of 2021,” he said.

Anuj Puri, chairman of Anarock, said that in NCR, a total of 1.16 residential real estate units are scheduled for completion in 2021. “Of these, at least 43% are in the affordable segment, 39% in the mid-segment, 13% in the premium segment and 5% in the luxury segment,” he said.

Business, Business World

ZingHR Announces the Launch of the Global Benchmarking Research Playbook on the Banking and Finance sector – Vol 1

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

Mumbai, Sept 30th, 2021: Under its Thought Leadership Initiative and as a part of its Centre of Excellence brand, ZingHR has created a series of Global Benchmarking Research Playbooks, which attempt to capture the Top Technology trends in various sectors. The research playbooks are curated and built based on intensive research and extensive interviews, surveys and data collection. Through these playbooks, ZingHR aims to create a knowledge repository for the future using data that matters.

ZingHR is delighted to announce the launch of its first Global Benchmarking Playbook on the Banking and Finance sector, which was released recently Playbook Centre of Excellence – ZingHR

ZingEduSeries LOGO

The Playbook explores various technology adoption trends in the BFSI sector from AI/ML to Introduction of Blockchain; from Disintermediation via FinTechs to Smart Analytics and Big Data. ZingHR’s research playbook captures all the current topics and trends straight from leaders themselves.

With the primary research sample size of 25 C- level industry leaders and polls conducted on over 200 people, results were identified and trends analysed by the team.

“BFSI sectors is one of the key growing sectors in India and will tend to grow in the times to come. The beauty of this growth lies not only at the enterprise level but also at the startup and early-stage company level. The host of tech startups in fintech, insurtech, regtech beyond the NBFCs that are coming in with promising products and services, is giving way for a brighter and more digitalized future of work.

In my opinion technology clubbed with actual productive usage, specially in the BFSI sector which can cover risk, credit and effective operations beyond just lending business whether it is B2B, B2C, P2P or any other channel, will make way for building iconic companies and entry of great solution building products/services. I think the support of core banking not only in helping these grassroot level companies in progression but finding innovative ways to lend into this emerging ecosystem, will also be a key driver, beyond inclusion of deep tech play.” said Ravi Kikan, Director – Marketing and Growth, Online Sales; ZingHR

ZingHR will be publishing these research playbooks across social media and several digital platforms. Currently the team is working on its Volume 2 of the series, which showcases technology adoption trends across the retail sector.

About Zing HR: ZingHR is an HRTech venture accelerated at Microsoft, with more than 400+ employees, 700+ customers, and 1.5 million+ active users. It offers a range of solutions that help end-to-end processes in HR, through Artificial Intelligence, Machine and Deep Learning algorithms, which help improve employee performance and drives process efficiency in recruitment, offers ease of leave, attendance, payroll, and claim management. ZingHR is one of the few global ventures which offers almost all web/mobile-based modules from Hire to Retire Solutions with state-of-the-art technology supporting those applications. ZingHR helps organizations to go beyond Automation and deliver solutions that could directly impact Business Outcomes – Outcomation™. ZingHR aims at creating an Outcomation™ platform for the betterment of workforces across the globe. After a successful launch in the middle east, ZingHR is now looking for a global footprint in the HRTech & HRMS business.

Health

HFSS foods unsafe for heart; Make FOPL mandatory: appeals experts on World Heart Day

Sep 30, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

NEW DELHI: Stakeholders like public, parents, activists and medical fraternity who are at the receiving end due to consumption of unhealthy packaged foods-laden with high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) should join hands to persuade the Government to make Front Of Packaging Labels (FOPL) warnings mandatory for the food industry.

This was asserted by leading cardiologist Dr Rohit Goel, consultant at Fortis Hospital, Gurugram on the ‘World Heart Day’ being observed on Wednesday as he shared how such an unhealthy diet is causing immense damage to the heart in particular and overall body in general.

Dr Goel said that unchecked consumption of unhealthy food and sedentary lifestyle is causing havoc on the heart with youth as young as 40 years dying due to heart diseases. “Heart disease results from the narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart with blood due to gradually built up of fatty deposits (or plaque) on the inside of the artery walls, narrowing the space in which blood can flow to the heart.

“Narrowing of arteries can start when you are young, so by the time you reach middle age, it can be quite advanced, ” he said. Hence, for the sake of heart, the kids also must be aware of what they are consuming. In this connection, FOPL warnings are the need of the hour and they should be made mandatory on an urgent basis for the food industry so that consumers have informed and healthy choices while purchasing packaged foods, he added.

To substantiate his argument, he cited mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products which have educated consumers about the health risks of tobacco usage and changed people’s perception.

“Similarly, FOPL too can help cut down non-communicable diseases (NCD) burden which is increasing at an alarming rate in India,” Dr Goel said at Healthy Talks on the topic “Save your Heart from unhealthy packaged foods,” initiated by IGPP platform.

He cited examples of countries like Chile which in 2012 adopted the warning label system of FOPL and have succeeded in reducing consumption of the unhealthiest ultra-processed foods and beverages while encouraging its population to eat healthy food. The country is already reaping benefits as NCD rate is on a declining spree.
The same model has been adopted by countries like Brazil, France and Israel while many are in the process of doing so to ensure their population is free from NCDs trap, informed Dr Goel in an interview with senior journalist Gaurav S Karrir.

On the other hand, India which has been dithering over the FOPL for the past several years is fast becoming home to several NCDs like obesity, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, warned Dr Goel, if preventive health steps are not taken in time, India by 2045 may become the Capital of childhood obesity and diabetes, both silent killers causing burden on the health system as well as loss to economic productivity.

Figure these: At least 1.44 million kids are suffering from childhood obesity while various studies say that consumption of high HFSS foods can result in a 10 per cent increase in obesity, diabetes and heart related diseases while there are chances of ten per cent increase in certain types of cancers.

Dr Goel minced no words as he squarely blamed the food industry for its ‘inertia’ in implementing the FOPL warnings and instead postponing the issue on one reason or the other at the cost of people’s health. “The industry (food) knows that if it gives details on their products about harmful contents, people will become aware and will not consume such products.

“But India is a huge country with stakeholders having varied interests. Hence the government should not leave upon the food industry to follow the FOPL and instead make it compulsory,” Dr Goel added.

Supporting ‘Catch them young’ theory, he suggested that movement against HFSS should be launched at the school level itself among kids so that as an adult they know about the health hazards of HFSS and take informed decisions.

“This will have long-term implications,” he pointed out. Dr Goel disapproved of the food Star Rating system being adopted by Australia and New Zealand saying that they misrepresents the healthiness of unhealthy products and increases the likelihood of misleading consumers into thinking ultra-processed products are healthy.

Health

Technological Innovations and Advancements in lab tests in Cardiac Care Market

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

By Dr. Asha Bhatnagar, MBBS & Lab Director at Lifeline Laboratory

With rising illnesses like stroke and IHD (ischemic heart disease) contributing significantly to global mortality and disability, cardiovascular devices and their importance in heart-related therapies are increasingly gaining attention. That is why Patient Monitoring is being made easier on a daily basis with upgraded wearable technology in electronic devices to track heart health in smartwatches or smartphones.

Several technological developments in Cardiac CT scanners, such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are widely used to speed up post-examination processing. Also, The damaged vascular segments are also exhibited in 3-D using Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, providing a 360-degree view of the lab diagnostic procedure. While all these technological innovations are available in the medical industry, it’s more important than ever to be aware of heart disease diagnosis.

LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE ADVANCES IN LAB TESTS FOR CARDIAC CARE IN HEALTHCARE MARKET

There are emerging advances in technology for the screening of heart disease, with innovations in both pathology tests as well as radiology tests.

Conventional blood tests for cardiac screening to determine heart attack risk and heart damage:

  • Lipid Profile: Lipid profile measures the fat content in the blood.
  • Total cholesterol levels, if high, can increase the risk of heart disease. Ideally, the readings should measure below 200 mg/dL.
  • Low density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad’ cholesterol readings should be below 70 mg/dL for those in high-risk category of heart disease and have pre-existing comorbidities like diabetes, obesity and hypertension; readings below 130 mg/dL are ideal for the rest.
  • High density lipoprotein (HDL) or ‘good’ cholesterol readings should be above 40 mg/dL (for men) and 50 mg/dL (for women).
  • Triglycerides or fat content in the blood are measured to assess the risk of atherosclerosis. High levels (more than 150 mg/dL) indicate the presence of atherosclerosis, or stroke, and/or pre-diabetes or diabetes. Extremely high levels can cause pancreatitis wherein the pancreas is acutely inflamed and on the verge of collapse.
  • Non-HDL-Cholesterol measures the cholesterol in lipoprotein particles and is a better risk marker.
  • CRP (high sensitivity) cardio marker indicates the presence of inflammation. High levels could indicate a high risk for heart attack, stroke and heart disease.
  • Plasma ceramides is a cardiac marker test which assesses the extent of atherosclerosis (hardening and clogging of arteries and smaller blood vessels).
  • B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP or pro-BNP) cardio marker test helps to determine if symptoms of breathlessness or shortness of breath in a patient are due to congestive heart failure or not. Elevated levels indicate congestive heart failure.
  • Ischemia modified albumin (IMA): Changes in the albumin level may be a warning of a heart attack in the event of chest pain symptoms. However, IMA levels may be high even in the absence of ischemia.
  • Creatinine Kinase (CK-MB) is a sub-type of CK, and is considered more sensitive for assessing damage in the heart from a heart attack and may show elevated levels about 6 hours after a heart attack. It reverts to normal levels in a couple of days. Thus, it is not considered an ideal biomarker to assess if the chest pain symptom was a heart attack or not.
  • Myoglobin protein stores oxygen and may not be a specific biomarker in the diagnosis of a heart attack.

Some of the Recent tests for accurate assessment of Heart Attack and Heart Damage

  • Troponin T & I proteins are specific to the heart muscle and get released into the blood when the heart muscle is damaged in the wake of a recent heart attack or heart episode, and remain in the bloodstream long after all other biomarkers go back to normal levels after an attack. This high sensitivity test is a relatively recent cardiac marker test which is considered the best and most certain biomarker for assessing heart disease risk in the absence of any current or previous history of heart disease. Elevated levels indicate a definite recent heart attack, heart injury or heart damage.
  • Lipoprotein (a) or Lipoprotein phospholipase (LpPLA2): Elevated levels are indicative of a high risk of early onset heart disease due to family history and the risk of developing heart disease in the future.
Business, Business World

JSW Paints is exploring West Bengal as one of the three States to establish its new Paints manufacturing unit

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

Kolkata – September 30, 2021: JSW Paints, India’s environment-friendly paints company and part of the US$ 13 billion JSW Group, has entered the West Bengal market. Launched in 2019, JSW Paints has so far established a strong presence in the South & West markets. It is now scaling up its operations in the North, Central & East regions to become a pan-India player. It’s entry in West Bengal is part of this national scale-up. JSW Paints has begun rolling out its all water-based portfolio of paints comprising 1808 colours across key markets in the State. The company aims to establish a strong presence across all local markets in the State by March 2022.

JSW Paints has earmarked an investment of Rs 750 crore to scale-up its operations across North, Central & East regions. These investments will be utilized to expand current paint-manufacturing capacities in order to service the customers’ demand in West Bengal and other new markets as well as on other marketing & distribution initiatives. The Company is currently evaluating West Bengal as well as two other States to set-up its third paints manufacturing unit. A decision is likely to be made by end of current fiscal.

Any Colour One Price

Commenting on its entry in West Bengal, Mr AS Sundaresan, Joint Managing Director & CEO JSW Paints said, “We are pleased to offer every home in West Bengal the advantage of Any Colour One Price as part of our market entry in this beautiful State. For the first time in India, our customers, here, will benefit from pricing transparency while choosing colours for their home. With a focus on being environment-friendly, our water-based range of paints for all surfaces including wood and metal will ensure that we cater to painting needs of every home in West Bengal. Our consumers in this State are well travelled and seek best quality products. Every product packs global best practises & better features in comparison to current offerings in the market. In order to ensure that our consumers have easy access to our product portfolio, we are putting in place a robust network of retailers in West Bengal. The idea is to help our consumers to make their paints and painting journey Simple, Swift and Sure.”

Through JSW Paints ‘Any Colour One Price’ proposition, the company offers 1808 colours at the same price. This is an industry-first offering that has disrupted the entire paints market. This unique proposition will be brought alive with an integrated marketing campaign that will be rolled-out in West Bengal soon. The marketing campaign will have a strong on-ground connect with consumers, channel partners and influencers.

JSW Paints’ offers water-based paints under the product range Halo, Aurus and Pixa. Halo Aquaglo is the company’s offering for wood and metal surfaces. In addition, it also offers waterproofing products under its IBlok range. It is the only company in India to offer a complete water-based product portfolio. Being environment-friendly, these paint products use no solvents, are low on VOC and family-friendly. As part of its services in the West Bengal market, consumers can avail the help of JSW Paints Buddy service where the company representative will offer personalized assistance to customers regarding their paint-related queries at the customer’s doorstep. The Colourvista Touch mobile app is designed to visualize colours in a customer’s home space, making it convenient for them to take decisions.

News

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee announces its Annual Distinguished Alumni awards

Sep 30, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

Roorkee: IIT Roorkee announced its Distinguished Alumnus Awards (DAA), Outstanding Service Awards (OSA) and Distinguished Young Alumnus Awards (DYAA) 2021 for 2021. Every year these awards are presented to the alumni of IIT Roorkee to recognize their outstanding contributions in their chosen careers. It may be noted that OSA has been introduced for the first time to recognize the alumni for their outstanding service to their alma mater.
Nominations for DAA, DYAA and OSA are invited from all over the world and this year 163 and 37 nominations were considered for DAA and DYAA 2021 respectively. Over the years, the students graduating from this institute have achieved excellence and stature in industry, business, government, academic and research institutions, as well as successful entrepreneurs or in their service to society.

The DAA awardees of 2021 are:

• Research Excellence:

1. Prof. O.P. Malik (1962 ME Electrical Engg.), Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, Canada
2. Prof. Rajeev Ahuja (1986 MSc, Physics), Director IIT Ropar and Professor, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

• Excellence in Technology Innovation:

1. Dr. Dinesh Srivastava (1982 BE Metallurgical Engg.), Chairman & CEO, Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad
2. Dr. S.S.V. Ramakumar (1984 M Sc, Chemistry), Director (R&D) and Board Member, Indian Oil Corporation
• Excellence in Leadership in the Government or Public Sector:

Government Sector:

1. Dr. Shailendra Kumar Joshi (1981 BE Electronics & Communication Engg.), Retired Chief Secretary, Govt of Telangana.
Public Sector:
2. Dr. Dinesh Kumar Likhi (1981 BE Metallurgical Engg.), Retired Chairman cum Managing Director, MIDHANI.

• Excellence in Leadership in the Private Sector:

1. Mr. Saurabh Agrawal (1982 BE Chemical Engg.), Group CFO and Director, Tata Sons Private Limited.
2. Mr. Sumit Dhawan (1996 BE Computer Sciences Engg.), President VMware, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Outstanding Service Award (OSA):

• Category 1: Augmenting Resources for IITR

1. Mr. Pitamber Shivnani (1986 BE Electrical Engg.), MD & CEO GE, T&D India Limited

• Category 2: Promoting Excellence in Academics and Research

1. Dr. Kiran Panesar (1989 BE Computer Science Engg.), Staff Software Engineer, Google lnc., CA, USA.
2. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Bhatnagar (1970 BE Electrical Engg.), President Technical at Reliance Jio.

Distinguished Young Alumnus Awards (DYAA):

1. Dr. Raju Kumar Gupta (2005 B.Tech Chemical Engg.), Assoc. Professor, Department of Chemical Engg., llT Kanpur.2. Mr. Ankit Garg (2010 B.Tech Chemical Engg.), CEO & Co-Founder, Wakefit.
3. Mr. Mukul Rustagi (2013 B.Tech Electronics & Communications Engg.), CEO & Co-Founder, Classplus.

Addressing the media, Prof A.K. Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee, said, “IIT Roorkee is fortunate to have a large number of alumni who have done exceedingly well in their chosen profession. Not surprisingly, these awards are quite competitive. This year we are happy to present awards to 14 of our alumni under various categories. I convey my hearty congratulations to all the awardees”.

These awards shall be conferred on the Foundation Day of IIT Roorkee i.e. 25th November, 2021.

Business, Business World

Housing.com expands into Tier-II cities; opens office in Lucknow, Chandigarh and Jaipur

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

30th September 2021: India’s leading online real estate company Housing.com has announced the launch of its operations in the cities of Lucknow, Chandigarh and Jaipur. The move by the REA India owned online portal comes at a time when housing affordability has improved tremendously and digital media have made property investment completely hassle-free.

Commenting on the launch, Amit Masaldan, Business Head, Housing.com, said: “Tier-II and Tier-III cities have now become one of our key areas of interest since the pandemic has helped drive housing demand in these cities. In the times to come, these growth centres will become more and more crucial for the success of our business. With our new offices in the cities of Lucknow, Chandigarh and Jaipur, we expect to cater to the increasing demand for new residences here.”

The decision by Housing.com to expand to tier-II cities is on the back of fast growing internet penetration. According to the IAMAI-Kantar ICUBE 2020 report, The number of active Internet users in India is expected to increase by 45% in the next five years, and touch 900 million by 2025 from around 622 million in 2020. And most of these new internet users will come from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

These newly opened offices will help the company cover a market where there has been a great spike in real estate activities for both builder partners and broker partners because of the increase in demand.

REA India-owned Housing comprises a trained team of sales personnel, marketing and technology experts, data collectors, analysts, and auditors, along with a strong research and analytics team.

Business, Business World

Cardinal Ritter Senior Services Announces Memory Care Facility Expansion

Sep 30, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments

One of St. Louis’ largest senior living communities to build $6.9 million dementia care neighborhoods

(St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 30, 2021) — Cardinal Ritter Senior Services – South County’s largest independent and assisted living nonprofit community – recently announced it will break ground this December on a new Mother of Perpetual Help (MOPH) memory care community expansion with a completion date set for December 2022. The $6.9 million, 17,886-square-foot development will have two separated homelike neighborhoods of 13 residents each for a total of 26 residents. A total of 21 additional staff members will be hired to serve the community.

Both residential-style neighborhoods, which will be attached to the existing MOPH community, will have their own front door to reduce foot traffic and aid in infection control procedures, such as virus transmission to its residents. Each neighborhood will have elements of a real home that include central living space consisting of an open kitchen, family dining area, and a recreational room for activities. A spacious lounge, complete with a double-sided fireplace and large screen television, will be used for resident socializing and family visits.

Mother of Perpetual Help

Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS) currently has three memory care communities – Grace, Hope, and Faith – that serve 66 senior adults. Located within the assisted living and skilled nursing communities, CRSS provides specialized care for seniors living with memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.

The expansion project differs from more medically intense dementia care programs. The safe and secure care community will offer expert 24/7 care in a homelike setting. Features include a natural environment with cutting-edge technology to help mitigate the effects of “sundowning,” a state of increased confusion and restlessness for those with dementia which begins or worsens as daylight starts to fade.

Residents will have a 336-square-foot private room complete with their own locked memory box to display meaningful keepsakes. The boxes will be located at their door off the community’s hallway to assist with wayfinding back to their own room. The neighborhood setting includes mass and religious services, engaging activities for individual and group life, professional therapy services, and a salon.

“There are currently five million people living with age-related dementia in the US, so it is absolutely critical that we recognize these trends on a local level,” said Cardinal Ritter Senior Services’ CEO Chris Baechle. “Each and every senior adult deserves quality, personalized care. Our innovative expansion will cater to our community’s growing need by providing specialized programs that exclusively serve senior adults with memory loss.”

Founded in 1961, Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS) creates communities that promote the dignity of human life and reflect the spirit of Jesus Christ. The community’s nearly 7,000 seniors – with 72% of the 2,500 directly served lacking adequate resources – benefit from housing options including independent or assisted living, memory care, affordable apartments, and skilled nursing communities. In addition to its main Shrewsbury campus located at 7601 Watson Rd., the nonprofit has 10 affordable HUD total apartment communities throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area and a robust social services department. For more information about CRSS, call (314) 961-8000 or visit their website.