Table of Contents

• AI News

• Senior Living News

• Wage / Salary Comps

• Job Listings

AI NEWS

Salesforce Pours $15B into San Francisco for AI Boom – Cloud software giant Salesforce announced a $15 billion investment in its hometown of San Francisco over the next five years to accelerate AI adoption. CEO Marc Benioff said the commitment – which will fund a new AI incubator, jobs and community programs – reflects Salesforce’s “deep commitment” to the city and to advancing AI innovation. Salesforce has been infusing AI across its products, from Slack to sales tools, as it battles rivals like Microsoft and Oracle in the race for enterprise AI solutions. This massive bet not only aims to sharpen Salesforce’s competitive edge but also to revitalize San Francisco’s tech economy. City leaders have welcomed the move, hopeful it will cement the Bay Area’s status as an AI hub. With AI reshaping software, Salesforce is doubling down locally – backing the talent and infrastructure needed to lead in the AI era.

Salesforce Debuts ‘Agentforce 360’ AI Platform – In related news, Salesforce globally launched its Agentforce 360 AI platform across all its cloud software tools. The company’s customers can now deploy AI “agents” within Salesforce apps to automate routine tasks and act on users’ behalf. CEO Marc Benioff said Agentforce 360 “connects humans, agents and data on one trusted platform” to boost productivity. Notably, about 12,000 organizations, including Reddit, OpenTable and Adecco, were early adopters during the pilot. The platform enables features like Slack chatbot assistants that can gather data or complete tasks via simple user prompts. With enterprise clients eager to harness AI, Salesforce is embedding these capabilities directly into workflows. Industry observers say this helps Salesforce keep pace as competitors roll out similar AI-driven features. By making AI agents available at scale, Salesforce hopes to help businesses save time, cut costs and unlock more value from their data.

AI Chip Challenger Lands Major Funding – Silicon Valley startup Groq has raised a whopping $750 million to take on Nvidia in the AI chip arena. The funding, led by top tech investors, more than doubles Groq’s valuation to nearly $7 billion. Groq, founded by a former Google engineer, builds novel “tensor processing” chips optimized for AI model inference – essentially speeding up AI applications at lower cost. This cash infusion will fuel Groq’s expansion as demand soars for specialized AI hardware. The company has been positioning its chips as a high-performance alternative to Nvidia’s GPUs in data centers and cloud services. Investors are betting Groq can carve out a significant niche as companies seek more AI computing power. With this massive round, Groq plans to scale production and even launch cloud datacenters for AI services. The AI boom has turned the chip sector white-hot, and Groq’s big win underscores that competition to power the AI revolution is just heating up.

AI ‘Guardian Angel’ Slashes Senior Falls by 70% – An Arizona senior living community is celebrating an AI-powered fall prevention system nicknamed “Paul” for dramatically reducing resident falls. The radar-based device uses artificial intelligence to monitor seniors’ gait and movements in their apartments, alerting staff in real time if someone is at risk of falling. Since installing Paul, one assisted living center saw falls plummet about 70%, even achieving zero overnight falls for the first time. Residents appreciate that the discreet gadget has no cameras or mics, preserving privacy while providing peace of mind. Caregivers say preventing falls frees them up to focus on other duties. Developed by Swiss firm Helpany, “Paul” analyzes subtle changes in walking patterns that often precede a fall. Staff can intervene before an accident happens – a game-changer in senior care. After this success in Arizona, the makers of Paul aim to expand the AI “guardian angel” to more communities (and even private homes) to keep older adults safe and living independently longer. It’s a prime example of AI making a positive difference in senior living.

Survey: Americans Fear AI Will Dull Human Skills – A new national poll finds that over half of U.S. adults expect artificial intelligence to have a mostly negative effect on essential human abilities by 2035. In the Elon University survey, majorities predicted AI will erode traits like social-emotional intelligence, empathy and critical thinking. For example, by a 6-to-1 margin respondents felt AI will harm people’s social and emotional skills rather than improve them. Only 9% believed AI’s impact on “the essence of being human” will be mostly positive, whereas 25% said it will be mostly for the worse (and the rest foresee a mix of good and bad). This pessimism challenges the common hope that uniquely human “soft skills” would remain our saving grace in an AI-driven future. Instead, many Americans worry that heavy AI use could make people less emotionally attuned, less creative, and too dependent on machines. The researchers behind the poll say these concerns highlight a need to guide AI development in ways that enhance rather than replace human skills – keeping people empowered, empathetic and mentally sharp in the AI era.

IMF Chief Urges ‘Alarm Bells’ Over AI Readiness – International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that nations lack the regulatory and ethical frameworks needed to cope with the rapid rise of AI. Speaking on Monday, she said governments and civil society must “ring the alarm bells” to catch up with AI’s breakneck growth. Georgieva noted that while AI offers huge opportunities for economic gains, it also poses serious challenges that current institutions are not equipped to handle. Issues range from job displacement to algorithmic bias and misuse of AI tools. The IMF head is calling for coordinated global efforts to set guardrails and principles for AI development. Her remarks echo growing sentiments among world leaders that AI governance is lagging dangerously behind innovation. By urging proactive oversight – without stifling innovation – Georgieva hopes to spark action toward international standards on AI ethics, transparency and safety. The takeaway: the world’s top economic steward believes we must act now to ensure AI benefits society and doesn’t outpace our ability to manage it responsibly.

SENIOR LIVING NEWS

Atlas Expands Footprint with New Orlando Community – Birmingham-based operator Atlas Senior Living is growing again in Florida, adding The Goldton at Lake Nona to its portfolio. The newly opened assisted living and memory care community in southeast Orlando offers private apartments, a resort-style pool, restaurant dining, a café and ample outdoor social spaces. The Goldton at Lake Nona is situated in the fast-growing Lake Nona area known for its Medical City and innovation cluster, giving residents easy access to shopping, dining and top healthcare services. Atlas CEO Scott Goldberg said Orlando is a key market for the company, and this expansion “builds on our strong presence in Florida” while letting Atlas imbue the community with its hospitality-focused care approach. The addition grows Atlas Senior Living’s network to over 40 communities across the Southeast. Executives noted it also creates new jobs and career growth opportunities for staff. With Florida’s senior population booming, Atlas’s latest community reflects strategic growth to meet local demand for high-quality senior housing.

Heritage Communities Acquires Glendale, AZ Campus – Omaha-based Heritage Communities is growing its Arizona presence, purchasing a senior living community in Glendale (formerly MorningStar at Arrowhead) and rebranding it Orchard Pointe at Glendale. The 85-unit property offers assisted living and memory care under Heritage’s management. As part of the takeover, Heritage is introducing its signature care programs – including a Montessori-based cognitive enrichment and new AI-powered fall detection technology in the memory care neighborhood. Heritage Communities President Nate Underwood said this marks their fourth community in Phoenix’s West Valley and “a meaningful step” in an ongoing expansion strategy. By adding Glendale, Heritage now operates 20 communities across Nebraska, Iowa, Arizona and Texas. The company is actively pursuing growth through both acquisitions and third-party management contracts. With the Glendale deal, Heritage not only extends its Southwest footprint but also brings residents and staff into its fold – rolling out the organization’s established wellness culture and technology innovations to elevate care and safety for its newest community members.

Caregiver Retention Gets a Boost with Uber Partnership – MissionCare Collective has teamed up with Uber for Business to help senior care employers support their frontline staff with transportation and meals. Through MissionCare’s CoachUp Care platform, providers can now offer caregivers Uber ride vouchers and Uber Eats credits as incentives or emergency assistance. The goal is to remove practical barriers – like lack of reliable transportation or food insecurity – that often cause direct care workers to miss shifts or quit. According to MissionCare, over half of US direct care workers rely on public assistance and many struggle with basic needs. By funding rides to work or a hot meal, employers can improve attendance, performance, and ultimately caregiver 90-day retention rates, which CoachUp Care says have already risen 15% in pilot programs. “Retention isn’t just a staffing issue – it’s a quality metric,” notes CEO Brandi Kurtyka, citing better care outcomes when caregivers stay longer. The Uber voucher initiative also generates data to tie these supports to workforce capacity and patient results. As the caregiver shortage reaches crisis levels, innovative benefits like this are emerging as key tools to keep hard-working CNAs and aides on the job.

Mather’s ‘Older Is Bolder’ Campaign Fights Ageism – Not-for-profit senior living innovator Mather is taking a bold approach to changing perceptions of aging. The Illinois-based organization launched an initiative called “Older Is Bolder,” a mobile art installation and media campaign across Chicago that celebrates vibrant seniors and encourages all ages to embrace growing older. Partnering with the Chicago Transit Authority, Mather has placed striking images and stories of local older adults – dubbed “Boldmakers” – on city buses, trains and stations to reach millions of Chicagoans. Each featured senior (an artist, an athlete, a community leader and more) is showcased as living boldly and making a positive impact, challenging stereotypes of aging. The campaign’s website shares videos and invites people to join the conversation about aging well. “For too long, society has approached aging as something to fear,” said Mather CEO Mary Leary. “We want to celebrate older adults who live in meaningful ways – and inspire others to see growing older as a privilege and opportunity.” By literally plastering positive aging messages throughout the city, Mather hopes to spark intergenerational dialogue and “reverse the invisibility” of older adults.

Erickson Secures $180M for New Senior Community – Big development news: Erickson Senior Living has obtained a $179.8 million construction loan to finance its next large-scale senior living project. The financing, arranged by Capital Funding Group, reflects strong investor confidence in Erickson’s continuing care retirement community (CCRC) model. The funds will fuel construction of a sprawling new Erickson campus (location to be announced) that will offer independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing levels under one roof. Despite higher interest rates, lenders are backing marquee senior housing projects as demand from the aging baby boom generation grows. Erickson, one of the nation’s largest senior living operators, has been expanding with new developments in multiple states. This hefty loan deal suggests that capital is available for experienced operators building modern communities with a full continuum of care.

AgeWell Solvere Living Grows Its Florida Portfolio – AgeWell Solvere Living (the joint venture of AgeWell and Solvere Living) is expanding in the Sunshine State, adding two more senior living communities in Florida to its management portfolio. The company recently assumed operations of a pair of assisted living and memory care properties – one on the Gulf Coast and one in Central Florida – increasing AgeWell Solvere’s presence in those regions. Leadership indicated that integrating the communities will involve rolling out Solvere’s proprietary programs focused on resident engagement and wellness. This move comes on the heels of other regional growth for the firm, which has been actively managing and acquiring communities across the Southeast.

Record Demand Puts Senior Housing on Waiting Lists – Senior living communities across the country are seeing unprecedented demand and long waitlists as the baby boomer generation ages. Providers say their buildings can’t keep up. “We’re telling folks who think they’re 2–5 years away from moving in that it’s actually more like 5–10 years out to get a spot,” notes one executive at a Twin Cities life plan community. The advice from experts: plan early. Families are encouraged to research options and even put down deposits well in advance, rather than waiting for a health crisis. Communities that offer a full continuum of care are especially popular because they guarantee future care access.